BV  806  .A7  1857 
Armstrong,  George  D.  1813- 

1899. 
The  doctrine  of  baptisms 


THE  DOCTRINE  OF  BAPTISMS. 


ANCIENT  PICTORTAI,  REPREPF.N'TATIOXS  OF  THE  BAPTISM 
OF   CHRIST,   BY   JOHN,   IN   JORDAN. 


This  picture  is  copied  from  the  door  of  the  Church  at  Beneventum, 
which  was  one  of  the  first  cities  in  Italy  where  the  Gospel  was  intro- 
duced.    It  is  rudely  executed,  and  extremely  ancient. 


This  is  a  representation  in  Mosaic  of  the  Baptism  of  Christ  in 
Jordan,  preserved  in  the  Church,  in  Cosmedin,  at  Ravenna,  which 
was  erected,  A.  D.  4t)l. 

In  the  centre  is  Christ  our  Saviour  in  the  river  Jordan.  On  a  rock 
stands  John  the  Baptist,  in  his  left  hand  is  a  bent  rod,  and  his  right 
hand  holds  a  patera,  shell;  from  which  he  pours  water  on  the  head 
of  the  Redeemer ;  over  whom  descends  the  dove,  the  symbol  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  with  expanded  wings,  and  emitting  rays  of  glory  and 
grace. 


THE 


DOCTRINE  OF  BAPTISMS. 


SCRIPTURAL    EXAMINATION 


OF    THE    QUESTIONS    RESPECTING 


I.    THE    TRANSLATION    OF    BAPTIZO, 
II.    THE    MODE    OF    BAPTISM, 
in.    THE    SUB.JECTS    OF    BAPTISM. 


BY 

GEO.  D.  ARMSTRONG,  D.D., 

PASTOR  OF  THE  PRESBYTERIAN  CHURCH  IN  NORFOLK,  VA. 


NEW    YORK: 
CHARLES    SCRIBNER. 

877  AND  8T9  BROADWAY. 

1857. 


ENTKRI.D   Hcconlii.g  In    Act  f.r  Cmittrtus,  in  llie   yeiir  ISSfi,  l.y 

CHARLES    SCRIBNER, 

1  the  Cleik'8  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  Uuited  States  for  the  Southern  District  .if  New  York. 


W.  H.  TIN80N,  SIBEEOXVPBE.  GEOKGK  BUSSKLL  S  CO.,  FKINIBK8. 


PREFACE 


In  the  following  treatise,  the  author's  aim  has  been,  to  give 
a  discussion  of  the  subject  of  Baptism  : 

First. — Purely  Scriptural. — Every  passage  of  Scripture, 
in  which  the  words  "  baptize  "  or  "  baptism  "  occur ;  or 
■which  in  the  author's  view,  or  that  of  prominent  Baptist 
■writers,  can  properly  claim  attention,  in  a  full  and  fair  Scrip- 
tural examination  of  this  subject,  is  considered,  and  a  correct 
exposition  of  it  attempted.  In  order-  to  avoid  frequent  repe- 
tition, these  difierent  passages  have  been  classified ;  and 
hence,  they  will  not  be  found  in  the  order  in  which  they 
occur  in  the  word  of  God.  But,  by  means  of  the  Scriptural 
Index  at  the  end  of  the  volume,  the  reader  will  be  able  to 
turn  to  the  exposition  of  any  particular  passage,  at  his 
pleasure. 

The  Word  of  God,  and  that  alone,  can  bind  the  faith  of 
the  Church  ;  and  in  the  following  treatise,  to  the  Word  of 
God,  and  to  that  alone,  is  the  appeal  made.     Hence,  the  title 


Vlll  PUEFAC]*:. 

of  the  work — "  The  Doctrine  of  Baptisms  "  (Heb.  vi.  2), 
i.e.,  the  teachings  of  Scripture  respecting  baptisms. 

Second. — Adapted  to  the  present  state  of  the  controversy 
in  the  Christian  Church. — The  formation  of  the  "  American 
and  Foreign  Bible  Society,"  for  the  avowed  purpose  of  intro- 
ducing words  equivalent  to  our  English  word  "immerse,"  as 
a  translation  of  the  Greek  "  baptizo,''^  into  all  new  versions 
of  the  Scriptures,  which  may  be  required  in  the  progress  of 
the  Foreign  Missionary  work,  and  more  recently,  the  forma- 
tion of  the  "  Bible  Union,"  for  the  purpose  of  substituting 
for  our  English  Bible,  an  English  translation,  in  which  similar 
changes  shall  be  made,  have  given  to  the  "  translation  ques- 
tion," a  practical  importance,  as  great  as  that  which  belongs 
to  the  questions  respecting  "  the  mode  "  and  "  the  subjects  " 
of  baptism.  Indeed,  at  the  present  time,  this  "  translation 
question,"  is  the  prominent  question  before  the  Church. 

To  adapt  the  discussion  to  this  new  phase  of  the  contro- 
versy, the  author  has  given  to  the  question  respecting  the 
translation   of  haptizo,  a  distinct  and  separate   examination. 

Third. — Popular. — The  author  has  aimed  to  treat  even  the 
translation  question,  in  such  a  way,  that  any  person,  by  tlie 
aid  of  the  English  Bible  alone,  and  without  a  knowledge  of 
the  Greek,  may  reach  an  intelligent  decision.  In  any  such 
question  as  this,  if  we  attempt  to  go  back  of  the  authority 
of  Lexicons  (and  Dr.  Carson,  one  of  the  ablest  of  modern 
Baptist  writers,  admits  that  he  "  has  all  the  lexicographers 
and  commentators  against  him,")  '  we  must  appeal  to  the  use 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  65. 


of  the  word  in  passages,  in  which,  from  the  context,  its  mean- 
ing can  be  determined.  By  means  of  garbled  quotations; 
or  the  quotation  of  some  passages  and  the  omission  of  others, 
of  equal,  or  even  greater  importance,  a  plausible  argument 
may  be  constructed  in  support  of  a  fiilse  translation.  But 
when,  as  in  the  present  case,  the  appeal  is  to  the  Bible  alone, 
a  book  in  the  hands  of  all,  either  in  the  original,  or  else,  in 
a  translation  regarded  by  all  as  substantially  correct,  no  such 
difficulty  can  arise.  No  imperfect  or  garbled  quotation  can 
be  made  ;  no  important  instance  of  the  use  of  the  word  can 
be  omitted,  without  its  beins^  evident  to  all. 


CONTENTS. 


PRELIMINARY      STATEMENT, 


Question  respecting  the  Mode  of  Baptism — Question  respecting  tlie  Subjects  of 
Baptism — Translation  Question, 17 


l^nrt   /irst. 

TRANSLATION      QUESTION. 

CHAPTER   I. 

§  1.  Statement  of  the  Question.  §  2.  Limitation  to  Baptizo— Kelsons  for  this. 
§  3.  Limitation  to  Baptizo  used  as  a  religious  Term — Reasons  for  this— History 
of  the  HeUenistic  Greek.    §  4.  Radical  FaUacy  in  the  Baptist  Argument,  .        25 

CHAPTER   II. 

§  5.  Jno.  lii.  25,  26.  Katharizo  (to  purify),  used  as  a  synonym  for  iaptiso 
§  6.  Jno.  i.  19-25.  Confirmation  of  this  sense  of  baptizo.  §  7.  Significance  of 
John's  silence  respecting  the  nature  of  baptism, 48 


Xll  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

MOSAIC    LAWS    OF    PURIFICATION. 

§  8.  Rites  of  personal  Purification.  §  9.  Rites  of  Purification  for  inanimate  Things 
§  10.  Purification  by  bathing  and  washing.  §  11.  EfiTects  of  Purification. 
§  12.  Definition  of  the  Term  purify  {katharizo).  §  13.  Definition  of  tlie  Term 
baptise  {baptizd),  as  used  in  the  Word  of  God,  54 

CHAPTER    IV. 

USE  OF  BAPTIZO  IN  THE  SEPTUAGINT  TERSION  OF  THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

§  14.  2  Kings,  V.  14.  §  15.  Ecclesiasticus,  xxxiv.  25.  §  16.  Judith,  xii.  7.  §  17. 
Isaiah,  xxi.  4, 66 

CHAPTER   V. 

USE    OF   BAPTIZO    IN    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT    TO    SIGNIFY    MOSAIC    PURIFI- 
CATIONS. 

§18.  Mark.vii.  4,andLul£e,  xi.S8.    §  19.  Hebrews,  ix.  10.    §  20.  Hebrews,  vi.  2.   SO 


CHAPTER  VI. 

FIGURATIVE    APPLICATIONS    OF   THE    WORD    BAPTIZO. 

§  21.  Christ's  Baptism  in  his  Death,  Matt.  xx.  20-23 ;  Mark,  x.  38,  89 ;  and  Luke, 
xii.  50.  §  22.  Baptism  "  unto  Moses,"  1  Cor.  x.  2.  §  28.  Baptism  in  the  Ark, 
IPet.  iu.21, 92 

CHAPTER  VII. 

BAPTISM    WITH   THE    HOLY    GHOST    AND   WITH    FIRE. 

§  24.  Matt.  iii.  11 ;  Mark,  i.  8 ;  Luke,  iii.  16 ;  John,  i.  26,  83 ;  Acts,  i.  4-8, 22 ;  ii.  1-4, 
16-18,  32,  33;  X.  44-48;  xi.  15,  16 109 


CONTENTS.  Xm 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

USE    OF    BAPTIZO    I.N    A    SPIRITUAL    SENSE. 

§  26.  1  Cor.  xii.  13.  §  26.  Gal.,  iii.  27.  §  27.  Epli.  iv.  5.  §  28.  Origin  of  the 
Doctrine  of  Baptismal  Regeneration, 121 

CHAPTER  IX. 

ALL   WATER-BAPTISMS    IN    THEIR    NATURE    PURIFICATIONS. 

§  29.  "The  Baptism  of  Repentance."  Matt.  iii.  7,  8,  11  ;  Mark,  i.  4  ;  Luke,  iii. 
r,  8,  12 ;  Luke,  vii.  29,  30;  Matt.,  xx\.  2.5 ;  Mark,  xi.  80 ;  Acts,  i.  22;  Acts,  xiii. 
24;  Acts,  X.  37 ;  Acts,  xix.  1-7 ;  Acts,  xviii.  24-26.  §  30.  Christ's  Baptism  by 
John.    Matt.,  iii.  14-17;  Mark,  i.  9-11;  Luke,  iii.  21,  22;  John,  i.  32,  33.     §  31. 

Christian  Baptism.     Acts,  ii.  41 ;  Acts,  viii.  12-16;  Acts,  xviii.  8,      .        .        128 

Summing  up — Conclusion, 143 


^art   Inntilr. 


THE     MODE     OF     BAPTISM. 

CHAPTER  I. 

§  82.  Statement  of  the  Question— §  33.  Arguments  relied  on  to  prove  that  Immer-      / 
sion  is  essential  to  valid  Baptism, 151 


CHAPTER   II. 

SYMBOLIC    IMPORT    OF    BAPTISM. 

S  84.  Rom.  Ti.  8,  4;  Col.   ii.  12.    §85.  Rom.  vi.  8,  4.    §  86.   Col.  ii.  12.     §  87. 
1  Cor.  XV.  29, 165 


XIV  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER  III. 

§  88.  John's  Baptisms  in  Jordan.  Matt.  iii.  1-6;  Marie,  i.  4-10;  Luke,  iii.  8,  21. 
Jolin,  i.  28,  X.  40.  §  39.  John's  Baptisms  at  JEnon.  John,  iii.  23.  §40.  The  Bap- 
tism of  the  Eunuch.    Acts,  viii.  36-39,         .......        179 

CHAPTER   IV. 

§41.  The  Baptism  of  the  three  thousand  in  Jerusalem.  Acts,  ii.  88,  41.  §42. 
Paul's  Baptism,  Acts,  ix.  17, 18 ;  xxii.  12-16.  §  43.  The  baptism  of  Cornelius, 
Acts,  X.  4448.  §  44.    The  Baptism  of  the  Jailer  at  PhiUppi,  Acts,  xvi.  32-84, 198 


imming  up — Conclusion, 


SUPPLEMENTARY   NOTE. 
The  Practice  of  Immersion  in  Early  Times,    . 


THE     SUBJECTS     OF     BAPTISM. 

CHAPTER   I. 

i  48.  Statement  of  the  Question,  and  of  the  Arguments  relied  on  by  Baptists  and   \ 
Pedo-Baptists, 228 


CHAPTER   II. 

§  46.    Christ's  commission  to  his  Church,  Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20  ;  Mark,  xvi.  15, 16  ; 
Luke,  xxiv.  47^9 226 


C0NTKKT8.  XV 

CHAPTER   III. 

i  4".  Is  the  import  of  Baptism  inconsistent  with  its  administration  to  Infants  ? 
Acts,  xxu.  16,  and  Deut.  xxx.  6.  Gal.  iii.  2T,  and  Rom.  ii.  2S,  29.  1  Cor.  xii.  13, 
and  Rom.  iv.  11.    Col.  11. 12,  and  Col.  ii,  11, 285 


CHAPTER   IV. 

:  4S.  Essential  Character  of  the  visible  Church.    §  49.  Nature  of  Church  Member- 
ship  245 


CHAPTER  V. 

RELATION   OF   THE   CHURCH   UNDER   THE   NEW  TO   THAT   UNDER  THE   OLD 
TESTAMENT   DISPENSATION. 

§  50.  The  Charter  of  the  Church  unchanged.  §  51.  Scriptural  Representations. 
§  52.  The  first  Christian  Church  but  the  Old  Testament  Church  purged  of  the 
Apostasy, 252 


CHAPTER  VI. 

§  53.  Christ's  Recognition  of  Infant  Membership  in  the  Church.  Matt.  xix.  18-15. 
Mark,  x.  13-16.  Luke,  xviii.  15-17.  §  54.  Christ's  re-commission  of  Peter. 
John,  xxi.  15.  §  55.  Peter's  preaching  of  Christian  Baptism.  Acts,  ii.  88,  89,  and 
iii.  24-26.    §  56.  Significant  Silence  of  the  Jews, 268 


CHAPTER  VII. 

INFANT  MEMBERSHIP   RECOGNIZED    BY  GIVING    TO    CHILDREN    THE    PECU- 
LIAR TITLES  BELONGING  TO  CHURCH  MEMBERS. 

§  57.  Names  given  to  Church  Members  in  Scripture.    §  58.  Eph.  i.  1,  and  vi.  1-3; 
Col.  i.  1,  2,  and  iii.  20.     §  59.  Titus,  i.  6.    §  60.  1  Cor.  vii.  1^-14,      .  287 


XVI  CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER   VIII. 

§  61.  Family  Baptisms.    Acts,  xvi.  14, 15,  and  32-84;  1  Cor.  1, 13-17,        .       306 

Summing  up — Conclusion, 812 


PRELIMINARY    STATEMENT. 


The  Christiau  world  has  long  been  divided  in  sentiment, 
on  the  question — What  constitutes  a  valid  Christian  bap- 
tism ?  All  agi-ee,  that  in  Christian  baptism,  there  must  be 
an  application  of  water  to  the  person  of  the  baptized ;  and 
that  this  application  must  be  made  "  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  The  differ- 
ence is — 

First.  Respecting  the  mode  in  which  this  water  is  to  be 
applied ;  some  contending-  that  in  order  to  valid  baptism,  the 
subject  must  be  immersed  ;  others,  whilst  admitting  the 
validity  of  baptism  by  immersion,  hold,  that  the  application 
of  water  by  sprinkling  or  pouring,  constitutes  a  baptism 
equally  valid  ; — and  that  to  require  immersion,  in  order  to 
admission  to  the  church   of  God,  is  to  infringe  upon  that 


XVlll  PKELIMINARY   STATEMENT. 

Christian  "  liberty  wherewith  Christ  hath  made  his  people 
free ;"  and  to  "  teach  for  doctrine,  the  commaudments  of 
men,"  This  is  the  difference  between  the  Baptist,  and,  what 
may  be  called,  the  Non-Baptist  churches. 

Second.  Respecting  the  -pro-per  subjects  of  baptism  ;  some, 
contending  that  none  but  such  as  make  a  credible  profession 
of  their  faith  in  Christ,  are  proper  subjects  of  baptism  ; 
others,  holding  that,  "not  only  those  that  do  actually  profess 
faith  in,  and  obedience  unto  Christ,  but  also  the  infants  of 
one  or  both  believing  parents  are  to  be  baptized"  (Presby- 
terian Confession  of  Faith,  chap.  28).  This  is  the  differ- 
ence between  the  Baptist,  and  that  large  portion  of  the 
Pedo-Baptist  churches,  to  which  the  Presbyterian  church 
belongs. 

A  controversy,  on  these  two  points,  has  long  existed  in  the 
Christian  Church.  In  support  of  their  doctrine,  that  immer- 
sion is  essential  to  a  valid  Christian  baptism.  Baptist  writers 
affirm,  that  the  word  baptizo  (the  word  in  the  original  Greek 
corresponding  to  baptize  in  our  English  version)  "has  but 
one  signification — it  always  signifies  to  dip,  never  expressing 
anything  but  mode ;"  and  hence,  they  argued,  that  to  speak 
of  baptism  by  sprinkling  or  poui'ing,  is  to  be  guilty  of  a  con- 
tradiction in  terms,  just  such  as  there  would  be  in  speaking 
of  dipping,  by  sprinkling  or  pouring.  Thus,  does  the  ques- 
tion respecting  the  urooer  translation  of  haptizo  enter  as  an 


PRELIMINAKY    STATEMENT.  XIX 

element,  and  a  most  important  element,  too,  into  the  decision 
of  tlie  qnestion  respecting  the  mode  of  baptism. 

On  such  a  version  as  our  commonly  received  English 
version,  in  which  the  Greek  baptizo  has  been  simply  Angli- 
cized and  transferred,  persons  diftering  in  opinion  respecting 
the  meaning  of  the  word,  may  unite,  without  any  compro- 
mise of  principle ;  and  had  not  the  Foreign  Missionary  work, 
in  its  progress,  called  for  versions  of  the  Bible  in  heathen 
tongues,  the  probability  is,  that  no  breach  in  the  church  of 
God  would  even  have  arisen  from  the  "  translation  question." 
A  breach,  however,  has  been  ci'eated  by  this  qnestion  ;  and 
the  Baptist  church,  in  our  country,  has  withdrawn  itself  from 
the  "  Bible  operations,"  in  which  all  other  Protestants  are 
united,  and  formed  the  "  American  and  Foreign  Bible 
Society,"  for  the  express  purpose  of  translating  the  word 
baptizo,  by  words  corresponding  to  our  word  immerse,  in  all 
new  versions  of  the  Bible  required  for  heathen  lands. 

As  a  natural  consequence  of  the  formation  of  this  Bible 
society,  and  more  especially  of  the  spirit  in  which  they  have 
pursued  their  work,  we  have,  within  the  last  few  years,  the 
formation  of  the  "  Bible  Union,"  for  the  purpose  of  giving  us 
a  new  English  version  of  the  Word  of  God,  in  which,  among 
other  changes,  the  words  immerse  and  immersion,  shall  be 
substituted  for  baptize  and  baptism.  The  American  and 
Foreign  Bible  Society,  at  its  anniversary,  held  April  28th, 


XX  PRELIMINAKY    STATEMENT. 

1840  :  "-Resolved,  That  by  tlie  feet,  that  the  nations  of  the 
earth  must  now  look  to  the  Baptist  denomination  alone, /o/" 
faitlifal  translatwns  of  the  Word  of  God,  a  respousibility  is 
imposed  upon  them,  demanding  for  its  full  discharge,  an 
unwonted  degree  of  union,  of  devotion,  and  of  strenuous  per- 
severing effort  throughout  the  entire  body."  And  in  their 
Annual  Report,  the  society  stigmatizes  all  the  translations 
made  for  the  heathen,  excepting  only  such  as  may  be  pub- 
lished under  Baptist  auspices,  as  "  versions,  in  which  the  real 
meaning  of  words  is  purposely  kept  out  of  sight,  so  that  Bap- 
tists cannot  cxvqmXsXq  faithful  versions,  unless  they  print  them 
at  their  own  expense."  And  they  add :  "  It  is  known  that 
the  British  and  Foreign  Bible  Society,  and  the  American 
Bible  Society,  have  virtually  combined  to  obscure  at  least  a 
part  of  the  divine  revelation,  and  continue  to  circulate  ver- 
sions of  the  Bible,  unfaithful,  at  least,  so  far  as  the  subject 
of  baptism  is  concerned." 

It  is  true,  that  a  majority  of  those  united  in  the  "  Ameri- 
can and  Foreign  Bible  Society,"  condemn  the  new  version 
movement,  and  declare  that  they  are  unwilling  to  see  our 
venerable  English  version  altered  in  a  letter.  And  yet,  we 
believe  we  do  them  no  injustice,  when  we  speak  of  the  for- 
mation of  the  "  Bible  Union  "  as  the  natural  consequence  of 
the  formation  of  their  society,  and  of  the  spirit  in  which  they 
have  pursued  their  work; — and   when  we  hold,  not  those 


PRELIMINARY    STATEMENT.  XXI 

engaged  in  the  "  new  version  "  alone,  but  the  wliole  Baptist 
church,  directly,  a  party  to  this  translation  controversy. 

Here,  then,  we  have  a  third  point  of  difference,  in  which 
the  Baptist  church  stands  as  the  one  party,  and  all  other 
Christian  churches  in  our  land,  as  the  other. 


PART     I 


THE   TRANSLATION   QUESTION 


THE 


DOCTROE  OF   BAPTISMS 


CHAPTER    I. 


§  1.  Statement  of  the  Question.  §  2.  Limitation  to  Baptizo—Ueasons  for  this. 
§  3.  Limitation  to  Bnptizo  used  as  a  religious  Term — Reasons  for  this— History 
of  the  Hellenistic  Greeli.    §  4.  Radical  Fallacy  in  the  Baptist  Argument. 

§  1.  Statement  of  the  Question. 

The  -word  laptizo  is  a  word  used  in  the  Scriptures 
to  designate  the  performance  of  a  Christian  rite,  in 
■which  water  is  applied  to  tlie  body,  in  the  name  of 
the  Trinity.  Eitlier  this  word  is  specific  as  to  mode, 
like  our  Englisli  word.^^,  dip,  sprinkle,  pour;  or  it  is 
generic,  denoting  simply  the  production  of  an  effect, 
like  our  English  words,  consecrate,  l)urify,  cleanse. 

The  Baptist  affirms  that  haptizo  is  a  specific  term, 
that  it  '•''has  hut  one  signification — it  always  signifies 
to  dip^  never  expressing  anything  hut  mode.'''' ' 

'  Carson  ou  Baptism,  p.  55. 


26  THE   DOCTKINE    OF    BAPTISMS, 

We  affirm  that  haptizo,  when  used  as  a  religious 
term  (and  it  is  always  so  used  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment), is  a  generic  term,  havi7ig  no  reference  to 
■mode;  and  hence,  to  translate  it  by  dip,  immerse, 
sprinkle  or  pour,  will  be  to  mis-translate  the  word  of 
God. 

In  this  statement  of  the  question,  we  have  pur- 
posely limited  it  to  the  word  laptiso^  and  to  that 
word  used  as  a  religious  term. 

§  2.   Question  limited  to  baptizo. 

The  question  is  limited  to  ha/ptizo.  Notliing  is 
affirmed  respecting  hapto,  a  word  frequently  used  by 
the  sacred  writers.  This  limitation  is  made  for  two 
reasons. 

First.  The  word  haptizo,  is  the  word  invariably 
used,  iu  the  inspired  Scriptures,  when  speaking  of 
the  rite  of  Christian  baptism :  the  word  lapto., 
although  of  frequent  occurrence  in  tlie  New  Testa- 
ment, is  never  aj)plied  to  that  ordinance.  Even 
admitting,  then,  that  hapto  is  the  primitive  word, 
and  haptizo  a  derivative  from  it,  the  fact  that  the 
sacred  writers,  when  speaking  of  Christian  baptism, 
always  use  the  latter,  and  never  in  one  instance  the 
former,  is  strong  presumptive  evidence  that  they 
understood  the  words  as  differing  in  meaning. 

Second.    Although    most    of    the    earlier    Baptist 


QUESTION    LIMITED   TO    BAPTIZO.  27 

wi'iters  contended  as  strennously  for  the  uniform 
modal  meaning  of  hajpto^  as  for  that  of  hajptizo,  their 
later  writers  give  up  this  point:  and  claim,  and  we 
think  they  do  so  fairly,  that  the  word  haptizo  alone, 
is  in  controversy. 

Commenting  on  Dr.  Gale's  translation  of  hapto,  as 
used  hy  II<nner,  in  his  "  Battle  of  the  Frogs  and  the 
Mice,"  Dr.  Carson  translates  the  sentence  in  which 
the  word  occurs — "He  fell,  and  breathed  no  more, 
and  the  lake  was  tinged  with  blood;"  and  adds:  "To 
suppose  that  there  is  here  any  extravagant  allu- 
sion to  the  literal  immersion  or  dipping  of  a  lake, 
is  a  monstrous  perversion  of  taste.  The  lake  is  said 
to  be  dyed,  not  to  be  dipped,  nor  poured,  nor 
sprinkled.  There  is  in  the  word  no  reference  to 
mode.  Had  Baptists  entrenched  themselves  here, 
they  would  have  saved  themselves  much  useless  toil, 
and  much  false  criticism,  without  straining  to  the 
impeachment  of  their  candor  or  their  taste.  What 
a  monstrous  paradox  in  rhetoric  is  the  figure  of  the 
dipping  of  a  lake  in  the  blood  of  a  mouse  1  Yet 
Dr.  Gale  supposes  the  lake  dipped  by  hyperbole.  '  The 
literal  sense,'  says  he,  'is  the  lake  was  dipped  in 
blood.'  Never  was  there  such  a  figure.  The  lake 
is  not  said  to  be  dipped  in  blood,  but  to  be  dyed  in 
blood." ' 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  48. 


^5  THE    DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

In  the  portion  of  tlie  "l^ew  Version"  which  has 
been  published  bj  the  "Bible  Union,"  Rev.  xix.  13, 
in  which  the  word  hajyto  occurs,  is  translated — "And 
he  was  clothed  with  a  garment  dyed  with  blood;  and 
his  name  is  called  The  Word  of  God."  The  autliorized 
version  reads — "And  he  was  clothed  with  a  gar- 
ment di'pped  in  blood,  and  his  name  is  called  The 
Word  of  God."  The  substitution  of  dyed  for  dipped 
in  this  passage,  we  suppose,  may  fairly  be  considered 
as  a  formal  abandonment  of  the  ground  once  main- 
tained by  Baptists,  in  so  far  as  the  word  Jjajpto  is 
concerned.  And  as  our  purpose  is,  to  treat  the 
several  questions  respecting  baptism,  with  reference 
to  the  positions  which  the  parties  now  occupy,  we 
shall  limit  our  examination  to  haptizo  alone. 

§  3.  Question  limited  to  baptizo,  used  as  a  religious 
term. 

Words  often  change  their  meaning,  with  varia- 
tions in  the  faith,  and  sentiments,  and  manners  of  the 
people  by  whom  they  are  used.  As  an  instance  of 
this,  in  our  own  language,  we  may  cite  tlie  words 
'•^religion''''  and  '■^ religious''^ — words  wliich  during  the 
period  of  papal  dominion  in  Great  Britain,  had  a 
meaning  very  different  from  that  which  they  now 
have.     "In  former  times,"  writes  Trench,  "a  reli' 


BAPTIZO    USED    AS    A    RKLIGIOIJS    TERM.  29 

gious  person,  did  not  mean  any  one  wlio  felt  and 
allowed  the  bonds  which  bound  him  to  God  and  to 
his  fellow  men,  but  one  wlio  had  taken  peculiar 
vows  upon  him ;  a  member  of  one  of  the  monkish 
orders.  A  religious  house,  did  not  mean,  nor  does  it 
no-w  mean  in  the  Church  of  Rome,  a  Christian  house- 
hold, ordered  in  the  fear  of  God,  but  a  house  in 
which  these  persons  were  gathered  together  accord- 
ing to  the  rule  of  some  man,  Benedict  or  Dominic,  or 
some  other.  A  religion,  meant  not  a  service  of  God, 
but  an  order  of  monkery;  and  taking  the  monastic 
vows,  was  termed  going  into  a  religion.  That,  then, 
was  'religion,  and  nothing  else  was  considered  deserv- 
ing the  name !  And  religious,  was  a  title  which 
might  not  be  given  to  parents  and  children,  husbands 
and  wives,  men  and  women  fulfilling  faithfully  and 
holily,  in  the  world,  the  several  duties  of  their  sta- 
tions, but  ordy  to  those  who  had  devised  self-chosen 
services  for  themselves.''' 

Words  used  to  designate  officers  in  the  church,  or 
religious  riglits  and  even  doctrines,  often  acquire  a 
meaning,  when  thus  nsed,  entirely  different  from 
their  original  meaning.  This  use  of  these  tei'ms,  we 
call  their  religious,  as  contradistinguished  from  their 
secular  use.  Thus — the  original  meaning  of  the 
Word  hisliop  is  overseer.     In  onr  language,  it  is  used 

'  Trencli  on  the  Study  of  Words,  p.  19. 


30  THE    DOCTRINE    OF    EAFflSMS. 

exclusiv^ely  as  a  religious  term  ;  and  no  one  would 
think  of  speaking  of  the  bishop  of  a  cotton  factory  or 
of  a  southern  plantation.  The  original  meaning  of 
the  word  eldei\  and  its  meaning  now,  when  used  as  a 
secular  term,  is  an  old  Tnan.  And  yet  I  have  known 
elders  in  the  Baptist  Church,  not  twenty-one  years  of 
age.  The  original  meaning  of  the  word  supper,  and 
its  meaning  now,  when  used  as  a  secular  term,  is, 
"  the  evening  meal "  (Webster).  When,  using  it  as 
a  religious  term,  we  speak  of  the  sacrament  of  the 
supper — or,  simply,  the  supper,  we  mean  a  Christian 
rite,  which  is  not  a  meal,  and  which  in  this  country, 
is  very  frequently  administered  in  the  forenoon. 

Such  changes  in  the  meaning  of  words  as  these,  are 
facts  familiar  to  the  student,  in  the  history  of  every 
language.  They  take  place,  in  consequence  of 
changes  in  the  faith,  or  manners  and  customs  of  a 
people,  even  where  that  people  continue  to  speak  the 
same  language.  But  where  a  language  comes  to  be 
spoken  by  a  people  of  different  faith  from  those  to 
whom  it  originally  belonged,  as,  for  exam])le,  a 
heathen  language  comes  to  be  spoken  by  a  Christian 
people,  these  changes  in  meaning  are  greatest  and 
most  frequent. 

Trench,  in  his  work  on  "  the  Study  of  Words,"  gives 
some  striking  illustrations  of  these  remarks.  "  In  the 
Greek   lanojuasre" — writes  he — "  there  is  a  w^rd  for 


CAPTIZO    USED    AS    A    RKLIGIOUS    TERM.  31 

humility ;  but  this  humility  meant  for  the  Greek, 
meanness  of  spirit.  He  who  brought  in  the  Christian 
grace  of  humility,  did  in  so  doing,  rescue  also  the 
word  which  expresses  it,  for  nobler  uses,  and  to  a  far 
higher  dignity  than  hitherto  it  had  attained.  There 
were  Angels  (messengers),  before  heaven  had  been 
opened,  but  these  only  earthly  messengers ;  martyrs 
(witnesses)  also,  but  not  witnesses  unto  blood,  nor  yet 
for  God's  highest  truth ;  apostles  (those  sent)  but  sent 
of  men;  advocates^  (pleaders)  but  not  with  "the 
Father.''  Paradise,  was  a  word  common,  in  slightly 
different  forms,  to  almost  all  the  nations  of  the  East ; 
but  they  meant  by  it  only  some  royal  park  or  garden 
of  delights ;  till  for  the  Jews,  it  was  exalted  to  signify 
the  wondrous  abode  of  our  first  parents  ;  and  higher 
honors  awaited  it  still,  when  on  the  lips  of  the  Lord, 
it  signified  the  blissful  waiting-place  of  faithful  de- 
parted souls  (Luke  xxiii.  43) :  Yea,  the  heavenly 
blessedness  itself  (Kev.  ii,  7).  ]S"or  was  the  word 
regeneration  unknown  to  the  Greeks.  They  could 
speak  of  the  earth's  regeneration  in  the  spring-time  ; 
and  of  memory  as  the  regeneration  of  knowledge. 
The  Jewish  historian  could  describe  the  return  of  his 
countrymen  from  the  Babylonian  captivity,  and  their 
re-establishment,  under  Cyrus,  in  their  own  land,  as 
the  regeneration  of  the  Jewish  state ;  but  still,  the 


32  THE   DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

word,  on  the  lips  of  either  Jew  or  Greek,  was  very 
far  removed  from  that  honor  reserved  for  it  in  the 
Christian  dispensation — namely,  that  it  should  be  the 
bearer  of  one  of  the  chiefest  and  most  blessed  mys- 
teries of  the  faith.  And  many  other  words,  in  like 
manner,  there  are,  "  fetched  from  the  very  dregs  of 
paganism,"  as  one  has  said,  which  words  the  Holy 
Ghost  has  not  refused  to  employ  for  the  setting  forth 
of  the  great  truths  of  our  redemption.  Keversing 
in  this,  the  impious  deed  of  Belshazzar,  who  profaned 
the  sacred  vessels  of  God's  house  to  sinful  and  idola- 
trous uses  (Dan.  v.  2.),  that  blessed  spirit  has  often 
consecrated  the  very  idol  vessels  of  Babylon  to  the 
"  service  of  the  sanctuary."  ' 

The  remark  is  made  by  one  of  the  ablest  of  modern 
critical  scholars,  "  classical  use,  both  in  Greek  and 
Latin,  is  not  only  in  this  study  " — i.e.  the  critical 
study  of  the  New  Testament — "sometimes  unavail- 
able, but  may  even  mislead.  The  sacred  use  and  the 
classical  are  often  very  diiferent." ' 

That  we  may  have  a  clearer  understanding  of  this 
subject,  and  especially  that  we  may  see  whither  we 
must  look  for  reliable  authority  in  the  interpretation 
of  the  words  of  the  Kew  Testament,  let  us  glance  at 

'  Trench  on  the  Study  of  Words,  pp.  46,  47. 
'  Campbell  on  the  Gospels,  vol.  i.  p.  58. 


BAPTIZO    USED    AS    A    RELIGIOUS    TERM.  33 

tlie  history  of  the  Hellenistic  Greek,  or  Greek  of  the 
synagogue,  as  it  has  been  called,  the  peculiar  Greek 
in  which  the  JSlew  Testament  is  written. 

'•The  persecutions  with  which  the  Jews  were 
harassed  under  Antiochus  Epiphanes,  concurring  with 
several  other  causes,  occasioned  the  dispersion  of  a 
great  part  of  their  nation  throughout  the  provinces  of 
Asia  Minor;  Assyria,  Phoenicia,  Persia,  Arabia,  Lybia 
and  Egypt ;  which  dispersion  was,  in  process  of  time, 
extended  to  Achaia,  Macedonia  and  Italy."  (For  the 
state  of  things  in  our  Lord's  day,  see  Acts  ii.  5-11.) 
"The  unavoidable  consequence  of  this  was,  in  a  few 
ages,  to  all  those  who  settled  in  distant  lands,  the 
total  loss  of  that  dialect  which  their  fathers  had 
brought  out  of  Babylon  into  Palestine.  But  this  is 
to  be  understood,  with  the  exception  of  the  learned, 
who  studied  the  Oriental  languages  by  books." 

"At  length,  a  complete  version  of  the  Scriptures  of 
the  Old  Testament  w-as  made  into  Greek ;  a  language 
which  was  then,  and  continued  for  many  ages  after- 
wards, in  far  more  general  use  than  any  other.  This 
is  what  is  called  the  Septuagint,  or  version  of  the 
seventy  (j)robably  because  approved  by  the  Sanhed- 
rim) which  was  begun,  by  order  of  Ptolemy  Phila- 
delphus,  King  of  Egypt,  for  the  Alexandrian  Library," 
l^about  269  B.  C).  At  first,  no  more  than  the  Penta- 
teuch was  translated,  whicli  was  soon  followed  by  a 


34  TIIK    DOCTKINE    OF    BAPTISMS. 

version  of  the  other  books.  Tliis  is  clonbtless  the 
first  translation  that  was  attempted  of  the  Sacred 
Writings." 

"  It  will  readily  be  imagined,  that  all  the  Jews  M'ho 
inhabited  Grecian  cities,  where  the  Oriental  tongues 
were  unknown,  would  be  solicitous  to  obtain  copies 
of  this  translation.  To  excite  in  them  this  solicitude, 
patriotism  would  concur  with  piety,  and  indeed  al- 
most every  motive  that  could  operate  upon  men." 

"Let  us  attend  to  the  consequences  which  would 
naturally  follow.  Wherever  Greek  was  the  mother 
tongue,  this  version  would  come  to  be  used,  not  only 
in  private  in  Jewish  houses,  but  also  in  public  in 
their  schools  and  synagogues,  in  the  explanation  of 
the  weekly  lesson  fr<un  the  Law  and  the  Prophets. 
The  style  of  it  would  consequently  soon  become  the 
standard  of  language  to  them,  on  religious  subjects. 
Hence  would  arise  a  certain  uniformity  in  phraseo- 
logy and  idiom  among  the  Grecian  Jews,  wherever 
dispersed,  with  regard  to  their  religion  and  sacred 
rites;  whatever  were  the  particular  dialects  which 
prevailed  in  the  places  of  their  residence,  and  were 
used  by  them  in  conversing  on  ordinary  matters." 

"Llence,  if  we  would  enter  thoroughly  into  the 
idiom  of  the  New  Testament,  we  must  familiarize 
ourselves  with  that  of  the  Septuagiut;  and  if  we 
would  enter  thoroughly  into  the  idiom  of  the  Septua- 


BAPTIZO    USED    AS    A    RELIGIOUS    TERM.  3£ 

gint,  we  must  accustom  ourselves  to  tlie  study,  not 
only  of  the  original  of  the  Old  Testament,  but  of  the 
dialects  spoken  in  Palestine,  between  the  return  of 
the  Jews  from  the  Babylonish  captivity,  and  the  de£- 
truction  of  Jerusalem  by  the  Romans ;  for  this  last, 
as  well  as  the  Hebrew,  has  affected  the  language 
both  cf  the  old  Greek  translation  and  of  the  New  Tes- 
tament. 

"Such  is  the  origin  and  the  character  of  the  idiom 
which  prevails  in  the  writings  of  the  Apostles  and 
Evangelists;  and  the  remarkable  conformity  of  the 
new  revelation,  which  we  have  by  them,  though 
written  in  a  different  language,  to  the  idiom  of  the 
old.  It  has  been  distinguished  by  the  name,  Heller.- 
istic  Greek,  not  with  a  critical  accuracy,  if  regard  be 
had  to  the  derivation  of  the  word,  but  with  sufficient 
exactness,  if  attention  be  given  to  the  application 
which  the  Hebrews  made  of  the  term  Hellenis'  : 
whereby  they  distinguished  their  Jewish  brethren 
who  lived  in  Grecian  cities,  and  spoke  Greek.  It 
has  been,  by  some  of  late,  after  father  Simon,  more 
properly  termed  the  Greek  of  the  synagogue. 

"  It  is  acknowledged,  that  it  cannot  strictly  be  de- 
nominated a  separate  language,  or  even  dialect, 
when  the  term  dialect  is  conceived  to  imply  peculi- 
arities in  declension  and  conjugation.  But  with  the 
greatest  justice,  it  is  denominated  a  peculiar  idiom. 


36  THE   DOCTKESTE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

being  not  only  Hebrew  and  Chaldaic  phrases,  put  in 
Greek  words,  lut  even  single  Greek  words  used  in 
senses,  in  whicJc  they  never  occur  in  the  writings  of 
profane  authors^  and  which  can  he  learned  only  from 
the  extent  of  signification  given  to  some  Hebrew  or 
Chaldaic  word,  corresponding  to  the  Greek,  in  its 
primitive  and  most  ordinary  sense.''^ ' 

On  these  facts  in  the  History  of  the  Hellenistic 
Greek,  the  idiom  in  which  the  Kew  Testament  is 
written,  Campbell  bases  his  remark,  already  quoted, 
"  classic  use,  is  not  only'' — in  the  critical  study  of  the 
]^ew  Testament — "  sometimes  unavailable,  but  may 
even  mislead.  The  sacred  use  and  the  classical  are 
often  very  different."  And  tlie  further  remark, 
that  "  those  words  in  particular,  which  have  been 
current  in  the  explanations  given  in  the  Hellenistic 
synagogues  and  schools,  have  with  their  naturaliza- 
tion among  the  Israelites,  acquired  in  the  Jewish  use 
an  infusion  of  the  national  spirit.  Though  tlie  words 
therefore  are  Greek,  Jewish  erudition  is  of  more  ser- 
vice than  Grecian  for  bringing  us  to  the  true  accepta- 
tion of  them  in  the  sacred  writings." — "  In  determin- 
ing the  different  acceptation  of  some  words,  as  used 
by  Jews  and  Pagans,  the  Scriptures  will  ever  be 
found  their  own  best  interpreter." 

The  two  sacraments  in  the  Christian  Church,  are 

'  CampbeU  on  the  Gospels,  vol.  i.  pp.  31,  32,  58,  62. 


BAPTIZO    USED    AS    A    KELIGIOUS    TEKM.  37 

termed  in  scripture,  the  one  hajjtism,  the  other  "  The 
Lord's  Supper  ^^  {deipno7i).  (See  1.  Cor.  xi.  20,  21.) 
As  furnishing  at  once  an  illustration  and  a  proof,  of 
Campbell's  remarks,  quoted  above,  we  cite  this  word, 
deipnon.  According  to  invariable  classic  usage,  this 
word  means  either  "  the  chief  meal  of  the  day,  taken 
among  the  Greeks,  toward  or  at  evening,  after  the 
labors  of  the  day  were  over;  or,  a  banquet,  a  feast." 
And  in  this  sense  it  is  used  both  in  the  Septuagint 
and  the  New  Testament,  when  used  as  a  secular  term. 
In  the  Septuagint,  "  Belshazzar,  the  king,  made  a 
great  feast  {deipnon)  to  a  thousand  of  his  lords,  and 
drank  wine  before  the  thousand."  (Dan.  v.  1.)  In 
the  New  Testament,  "  And  he  said  unto  him,  a  cer. 
tain  man  made  a  great  supper  {deipnon),  and  bade 
many."  (Luke  xiv.  16.)  And  yet,  nothing  can  be 
more  evident  than  that,  used  as  a  religious  term,  to  de- 
signate a  sacrament  in  the  Christian  Church,  the  word 
deipnon  has  a  signification  very  difi'erent  from  that 
in  which  it  is  used  by  classic  Greek  writers,  and  even 
by  the  New  Testament  writers,  when  they  use  it  as 
a  secular  term.  Hence  Paul  writes,  "  When  ye  come 
together  therefore  into  one  place,  this  is  not  to  eat  the 
Lord's  supper  {deipiion).  For  in  eating  every  one 
taketh  before  other  his  own  supper ;  and  one  is  hungry, 
and  another  is  drunken.  What !  have  ye  not  houses  to 
eat  and  to  drink  in  ?  or  despise  ye  the  church  of  God, 


Sb  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

and  shame  them  that  have  not."  (1  Cor.  xi.  20,  22.) 
The  Lord's  supper,  is  neither  a  banquet  nor  a  meal. 
And  for  making  it  a  supper  {(Ieip?ion)  in  the  classic 
sense  of  that  term,  Paul  declares  that  God's  judg- 
ments were  upon  the  church  at  Corinth.  "  For  this 
cause  many  are  weak  and  sickly  among  you,  and 
many  sleep."     (1  Cor.  xi.  30.) 

This  is  one  of  those  cases  in  which  "  classic  use 
will  mislead  " — "  in  which  Jewish  erudition  is  of  more 
service  than  Grecian  in  bringing  us  to  the  true  accep- 
tation of  a  term  in  the  sacred  writings  " — ''  in  wliich 
a  single  word  is  used  in  a  sense  in  which  it  never  oc- 
curs in  profane  authors,  and  which  can  be  learned 
only  from  the  extent  of  signification  given  to  some 
Hebrew  or  Chaldaic  word,  corresponding  to  the 
Greek  in  its  primitive  and  most  ordinary  sense  " — "  in 
which  the  Scriptures  are  their  own  best  interpre- 
ters." 

We  have  dwelt  upon  tliese  j^rinciples  of  interpreta- 
tion, at  much  greater  length  than  would  otherwise 
have  seemed  necessary,  because,  whilst  the  thorough 
scholar  must  be  familiar  with  them,  the  same  is  not 
true  of  the  general  reader,  and  they  have  a  most  im- 
portant bearing  upon  the  decision  of  the  question 
under  examination. 


FALLACY    OF   THE    BAPTIST    AKGUMKNT.  39 

§  4.  Badical  Fallaeij  in  the  Baj)tist  Argument. 

h  is  in  the  disregard  of  the  distinction  between 
the  sacred  and  the  secidar  sense  of  tlie  word,  that 
the  radical  fallacy  of  Dr.  Carson's  argument  lies — 
and  the  same  is  true  of  every  other  Baptist  argu- 
ment we  have  read — in  so  far  as  that  argument  is 
intended  to  determine  the  meaning  of  the  word 
l)a2)tizo. 

1.  Dr.  Carson  sneers  at  the  distinction  between  the 
sacred  and  secular  sense  of  the  word.  Thus  he  writes : 
— "  Pedobaptists  often  take  refuge  in  a  supposed 
sacred  or  scrij)t^iral  use,  that  they  may  be  screened 
from  the  fire  of  the  lexicons."  ' 

In  addition  to  the  words  already  cited,  as  illustrat- 
ing and  establishing  this  distinction,  we  may  cite  such 
words  as — 

Presbyter  {preshuteros).  In  its  classical  and  secu- 
lar use,  it  signifies  "  an  old  manP  "  Your  young  men 
shall  see  visions,  and  your  old  men  {jyreshuterio)  shall 
dream  dreams."  (Acts  ii.  17.)  In  its  sacred  sense 
it  signifies  an  officer  in  the  church,  who  might  be  a 
young  man.  Timothy  was  a  presbyter  (See  1  Tim. 
iv.  14);  and  yet  Paul  writes  to  him,  "Let  no  man 
despise  thy  youth."  (1  Tim.  iv.  12.) 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  58. 


40  TIIK    DOCTTINl';    OF    BAPTISMS. 

Pasi'OR  {poimosn).  In  its  classical  and  secular  use, 
it  signifies  a  keeper  of  sheep,  a  herdsman.  "  And 
Abel  was  a  keeper  of  sheep  {jpoimcBny  (Gen.  iv.  2,). 
In  its  sacred  sense  it  signifies  "  the  teacher  and  spirit- 
ual guide  of  a  particular  church."  "  And  he  gave 
some  apostles,  and  some  prophets,  and  some  evange- 
lists, and  some  pastors,  {poimenas)  and  teachers." 
(Eph.  iv.  11,). 

Church  [clcldmsia).  In  its  classical  and  secular  use, 
it  signifies  an  assembly,  even  though  it  be  a  tumultu- 
ous one.  "But  if  ye  inquire  any  thing  concerning 
other  matters,  it  shall  be  determined  in  a  lawful 
assembly  "  {ekkloBsia),  (Acts  xix.  39).  In  its  sacred 
sense  its  meaning  is  the  same  with  our  English  word 
church.  "  Unto  the  cliurch  {eJcMmsia)  of  God,  which 
is  at  Corinth,"  (1.  Cor.  i.  2).  Indeed,  we  do  not  know 
of  a  single  term  belonging  to  the  class  of  words  to 
which  baptismos  belongs,  words  used  to  designate 
rites  or  offices,  in  the  Christian  church,  which  has  not 
a  sacred  sense,  different  from  its  secular  and  classic 
sense  :  and  nothing  will  involve  the  interpretation  of 
Scripture  in  more  inextricable  confusion,  than  just  the 
disregard  of  this  distinction. 

(2.)  Having  cited  a  number  of  instances,  from  clas- 
sic Greek  writers,  in  which  he  thinks  it  evident  from 
the  context,  that  baptizo  is  used  in  the  sense  of  dip, 
and  added  several  also  from  the  writings  of  Joseph  us, 


FALLACY    OF   THE   BAPTIST    ARGUMENT.  41 

in  all  of  -vrhicli,  with  one  exception/  the  word  is 
evidently  used  as  a  secular  term  :  Dr.  Carson,  when 
he  comes  to  the  examination  of  its  use  in  Scripture, 
in  those  passages  by  which  its  meaning  as  a  sacred 
term  can  alone  be  determined,  such  as  Mark  vii.  4, 
cuts  the  matter  short,  by  saying,  "  Having  found  the 
meaning  of  the  word,  by  the  testimony  of  the  whole 
range  of  Greek  literature — having  found  that  it  signi- 
lies  immerse,  and  nothing  else,  have  I  not  an  unques- 
tionable right  to  allege  this  proved  meaning  ?" — "  Dr. 
Wardlaw  says,  with  respect  to  the  immersion  of  beds, 
'  he  who  can  receive  it,  let  him  receive  it.'  I  say,  he 
who  dares  to  reject  it,  rejects  the  testimony  of  God."  ' 
We  may,  for  argument's  sake,  grant  to  Dr.  Carson 
all  that  he  thinks  he  has  proved  respecting  the  classi- 
cal use  of  haptizo,  and  its  use  as  a  secular  term  by  Jo- 
sephus,  and  yet  say,  "  You  have  proved  nothing  to 
the  point."  The  unquestionable  fact,  that  all  other 
terms  belonging  to  the  same  class  wath  haptiso,  have 
a  sacred  as  well  as  a  secular  sense,  renders  it  pro- 
bable, a  priori^  that  the  same  is  true  of  haptizo  ',  and 
if  80,  it  is  til  is  sense,  w^hen  used  as  a  sacred  term, 
which  is  alone  in  controversy.  If  upon  such  princi- 
ples as  those  of  Dr.  Carson,  it  can  be  proved  that 
there  is  no  valid  baptism  without  itnmersion  ;  upon 

*  For  an  examination  of  this  one  instance,  see  note  to  §  L>. 
'  Carson  on  Baptism,  pp.  398,  72. 


42  THK    DOCTRINE    OF    BAPTISMS. 

the  same  principles,  and  with  a  much  greater 
array  of  evidence,  it  can  be  proved  that  the  Lord's 
supper  {dei])noii)  is  not  validly  administered  in  any 
church  on  earth,  at  this  present  day.  For,  certainly, 
the  eating  a  morsel  of  bread,  and  swallowing  a  single 
sup  of  wine,  is  \\o,i  more  unlike  a  banquet  or  the 
principal  meal  of  the  day,  than  pouring  or  sprinkling 
a  little  w^ater  on  the  person  to  be  baptized,  is  unlike 
the  entire  immersion  of  that  person.  And  if  depar- 
ture from  the  classical  and  secular  sense  of  the  name 
of  one  sacrament,  vitiates  its  administration,  the  same 
must  be  true  of  the  other  also. 

The  "  translation  question,"  must,  if  possible,  be 
settled  by  an  appeal  to  the  Scriptures  alone ;  or  if 
compelled  to  go  beyond  the  Scriptures,  we  must  ever 
bear  in  mind,  the  distinction  between  the  secular  and 
sacred  use  of  such  terms  as  the  one  in  controversy ; 
and  our  appeal  should  be,  not  to  the  classic  Greek 
writers,  who  did  not  write  in  the  dialect  of  Judea,  but 
to  Josephus  and  the  earliei-  Greek  Fathers.  We  be- 
lieve that  the  question  can  be  settled  satisfactorily, 
from  the  Scriptures  alone  :  and  hence,  to  the  Scrip- 
tures alone  shall  we  appeal .  And  bearing  in  mind,  the 
sacied  use  of  such  terms  as  haj^tizo^  we  insist  uj)on 
the  second  limitation  of  the  question,  viz.  :  that  it  he 
limited  to  baptizo,  used  as  a  religious  or  sacred 
term. 


THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS.  43 


CHAPTER    II. 

§  5.  Jno.  iii.  25,  26.  Kathnrizo  (to  purify),  used  as  a  synonym  for  haptizo. 
§  6.  Jno.  i.  19-25.  Confirmation  of  tl:is  sense  of  hapiiso.  §  7.  Significance  of 
John's  silence  respecting  tlie  nature  of  baptism. 

§  5.  John  III.  22-30,  a7id  lY.  1-3. 

III.  22.  "After  these  things  came  Jesus  and  his  dis- 
ciples into  the  land  of  Judea;  and  there  he 
tarried  with  them  and  baptized. 

23.  And   John   also  was   baptizing   in  ^non,  near 

to  Salim,  because  there  was  much  water  there  ; 
and  they  came  and  were  baptized. 

24.  For  John  was  not  yet  cast  into  prison. 

25.  Then  there  arose  a  rpiestion  between  some  of 

John's  disciples  and  the  Jews,  about  purify- 
in  G  {kaih a rism  cu) . 

26.  And  they  come  unto  John  and  said  nnto  him: 

Rabbi,  he  that  was  with  thee  beyond  Jordan, 
to  whom  thou  bearest  witness,  behold  the  same 
baptizktii  {haptisei),  and  all  men  come  to  him. 

27.  John  answered,  and  said:    A  man  can  receive 

nothing  except  it  be  given  lum  from  Heaven. 


44  THE  DOCTRINE  OF  BAPTISMS. 

28.  Ye  yourselves   bear   me  witness,  that  I  said,  I 

am  not  the  Christ,  but  that  I  am  sent  before 
him. 

29.  He  that  hath  the  bride  is  the  bridegroom ;  but 

the  friend  of  the  bridegroom,  which  standeth 
and  heareth  him,  rejoiceth  greatly  because  of 
the  bridegroom's  voice;  this  my  joy  therefore 
is  fulfilled. 

30.  He  must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease. 

lY.  1.  "When,  therefore,  the  Lord  knew^  that  the 
Pharisees  had  heard  that  Jesus  made  and 
BAPTIZED  more  disciples  than  John, 

2.  (Though  Jesus  himself  baptized  not,  but  his  dis- 

ciples,) 

3.  He  left  Judea  and  departed  again  into  Galilee." 

What  was  this  "question  about  PURiTYmG,"  which 
is  here  said  to  have  arisen  between  some  of  John's 
disciples  and  the  Jews?  According  to  the  plain 
record  of  the  text,  the  question  is  the  one  which  they 
immediately  propose  to  John :  "  And  they  came  unto 
John,  and  said  unto  him,  Rabbi,  He  that  was  witli 
thee  beyond  Jordan,  to  whom  thou  bearest  witness, 
behold  the  same  baptizeth,  and  all  men  come  to 
him."  Is  his  baptism  a  higher  and  holier  ba})tism 
than  thine?  And  is  it  about  to  take  the  place  of  tliy 
baptism?      A  question  most  natural  in  the  cii-cum- 


THE   DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS,  45 

stances  of  the  case;  John  and  Jesus  being  engaged 
in  baptizing  at  ])laces  not  veiy  remote  from  each 
other,  and  the  Jews,  who,  a  little  while  before,  had 
flt)cked  to  John's  baptism,  now  turning  to  that  of 
Jesus  in  such  numbers,  that  "  he  made  and  baptized 
more  disciples  than  Jolm."  With  the  very  imper- 
fect, and,  in  many  respects,  erroneous  views  of  the 
nature  of  the  Messiah's  kingdom  then  universally 
entertained  in  Judea,  we  can  hardly  conceive  how 
this  question  could  have  failed  to  arise. 

It  is  just  this  question  to  which  John  replies. 
"  John  answered  and  said :  A  man  can  receive 
nothing  except  it  be  given  him  from  Heaven.  Ye 
yourselves  bear  me  witness,  that  I  said  I  am  not  the 
Christ,  but  that  I  am  sent  before  him.  He  must 
increase,  but  I  must  decrease."  As  if  he  had  said: 
This  is  all  according  to  divine  appointment;  I  never 
claimed  any  other  honor,  as  compared  with  him,  but 
such  as  "a  friend  of  the  bridegroom"  has,  as  com- 
pared with  the  "bridegroom"  himself;  I  the  fore- 
runner of  Messiah,  he  the  Messiah  himself.  "  He 
must  increase,  but  I  must  decrease." 

Thus  understood,  the  interpretation  of  this  whole 
passage  is  perfectly  simple ;  and  each  part  consistent 
with  every  other.  And  now,  we  ask  the  reader  to 
notice  that  this  intei-pretation  proceeds  upon  tlie  sup- 
position, that  what  is  called  "  a  question  about  puki- 


46  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

FTiNG,"  in  V.  25,  is,  in  v.  26,  stated  as  a  question 
about  BAPTISM.  That  is,  that  John  Baptist,  and  liis 
disciples  and  the  Jews,  and  John  the  writer  of  the 
Gospel  record,  regarded  baptism  as,  in  substance,  a 

"  PURIFICATION." 

Dr.  Carson,  to  get  rid  of  this  conclusion,  takes  the 
ground :  1st.  That  when  "  they  came  to  John,"  they 
"did  not  state  the  case  concerning  purifying;  they 
stated  another  case  quite  different,  one  different  from 
that  at  issue  between  the  disciples  of  John  and  the 
Jews."  '  Let  the  reader  turn  to  the  record.  "There 
arose  a  question  between  some  of  John's  disciples 
and  tlie  Jews,  about  purifying.  And  they  came 
unto  John,  and  said  unto  him — John  answered  and 
said;"  and  especially  bearing  in  mind  that  the 
modern  division  of  the  New  Testament  into  chapters 
and  verses,  is  of  no  authority;  say,  whether  an 
ingenuous  interpetation  of  that  record  will  admit  of 
Dr.  Carson's  explanation.  2d.  That  our  exposition  pro- 
ceeds upon  the  assumption  "  that  if  two  words  refer 
to  the  same  ordinance,  they  must  be  identical  in 
meaning,"  whilst  "nothing  is  more  unfounded. 
There  are  situations  in  which  two  words  may  be 
interchanged  at  the  option  of  the  writer,  while  they 
are  not  perfectly  synonymous." "  To  this  we  reply, 
synonymous  terms  are  seldom  identical  in  meaning. 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  432.  ''  Ibid.  pp.  432,  433. 


SYNONYMS    NOT    IDENTICAL.  47 

Our  treatises  on  synonyms  arc  treatises  to  point  out 
the  differences  in  meaning  between  such  terms.  In 
the  case  before  us,  ruRiriuATioN  is  the  more  compre- 
hensive term,  whilst  baptism  is  more  limited  in 
meaning;  and  when  we  say  that  these  terms  are 
used  as  synonyms,  we  mean  that  the  former  inchides 
the  latter ;  that  baptism  is  a  species  of  pukification. 
We  by  no  means  assert,  "that  if  two  words  refer  to 
the  same  ordinance,  they  must  be  identical  in 
meaning." 

§  6.  John  I.  19-25. 

19.  "  And  this  is  the  record  of  John,  when  the  Jews 

sent  priests  and  Levites  from  Jerusalem,  to 
ask  him,  Who  art  thou  ? 

20.  And  he  confessed  and  denied  not ;  but  confessed, 

I  am  not  the  Christ. 

21.  And  they  asked  him  ;    What  then  ?     Art  thou 

Elias  ?  And  he  saith,  I  am  not.  Art  thou 
that  prophet  ?     And  he  answered,  no. 

22.  Then  said  they  unto  him  :  Who  art  thou  ?  that 

we  may  give  an  answer  to  tliem  that  sent  us. 

23.  What  sayest  thou  of  thyself  ?     He  said,  I  am  the 

voice  of  one  crying  in  the  wilderness,  Make 
straight  the  way  of  the  Lord,  as  saith  the 
Prophet  Esaias. 


48  THE    DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

24.  And  they  which  were  sent  were  of  the  Pharisees. 

25.  And  they  asked  him,  and  said  unto  him,  Why 

BAPTizEST  i^ajptizeis)  thou  then,  if  thou  be  not 
that  Christ,  nor  Elias,  neither  that  Prophet  ?" 

How  comes  it  that  the  Pharisees  ask  of  John  this 
question,  "  Why  baptizest  thou  tljen  ?"  We  answer  : 
Because  the  Jews,  as  instructed  out  of  the  Prophets, 
expected  Messiah,  when  he  came,  to  come  as  a  great 
Purifier  among  them,  and  they  understood  baptism, 
as  administered  by  John,  to  l)e  substantially  a  purifi- 
cation. Therefore  it  was,  that  whilst  they  could  un- 
derstand how  a  baptism  might  properly  be  adminis- 
tered by  Messiah  himself,  or  Elias,  who  was  to  come 
as  his  forerunner ;  they  could  not  understand  the 
propriety  of  John's  baptizing,  when  he  expressly  dis- 
claimed being  either  the  one  or  the  other. 

The  prophecies,  upon  which  the  Jews  based  this 
expectation,  were  such  as  :  (Ezek.  xxxvi.  25,  28) : — 
"Then  will  I  sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and 
ye  shall  be  clean  (purieied)  ;  from  all  your  filthiness 
(uNCLEANNESs)  and  from  all  your  idols  will  I  cleanse 
(purify)  you.  A  new  heart  also,  will  I  give  you ; 
and  a  new  spirit  will  I  put  within  you;  and  I  will 
take  away  the  stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will 
give  you  a  heart  of  flesh.  And  I  will  put  my  Spirit 
witliin  you,  and  cause  you  to  walk  in  my  statutes, 


BAPTIZO    USED    AS    A    RELIGIOUS    TEEM.  49 

and  ye  shall  keep  my  judgments  and  do  them.  And 
ye  shall  dwell  in  the  land  that  I  gave  to  your  fathers, 
and  ye  shall  be  my  people,  and  1  will  be  your  God." 
And  (Mai.  iii.  2,  3,)  "  But  who  may  abide  the  day 
of  his  coming?  And  who  shall  stand  when  he  ap- 
peareth  ?  For  he  is  like  a  refiner's  fire,  and  like  ful- 
ler's soap.  And  lie  shall  sit  as  a  refiner  and  purifier 
{katharison)  of  silver :  and  he  shall  purify  (Jcathari- 
sei),  the  sons  of  Levi,  and  purge  them  as  gold  and 
silver,  that  they  may  ofi'er  unto  the  Lord  an  offering 
in  righteousness." 

To  tiiese  prophecies  respecting  Messiah,  John  him- 
self had  particularly  called  their  attention  at  the 
commencement  of  his  public  ministry  ;  and  this  too, 
in  connection  with  his  administration  of  baptism  : — 
'"  I,  indeed,  baptize  you  with  water,  unto  repentance  ; 
but  he  that  cometh  after  me,  is  mightier  than  I, 
whose  shoes  1  am  not  worthy  to  bear :  He  shall 
BAPTIZE  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  w'ith  fire  : 
Whose  fan  is  in  his  hand,  and  he  w'ill  thoroughly 
PURGE  {diakatharii i)  his  floor,  and  gather  his  wheat 
into  the  garner ;  but  he  will  burn  up  the  chaff  wuth 
unquenchable  fire."  (Matt.  iii.  11,  12.) 

Understanding  baptism  to  be  essentially  a  purifica- 
tion, how  natural  was  it,  for  the  Pharisees,  when  they 
saw  Jolm  baptizing,  to  ask  the  question :  Art  thou 
our   promised   Messiah,  the  great  Purifier,  foretold 


60  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

by  our  Prophets  ;  He,  who  at  his  comiug,  will  sepa- 
rate us  from  among  our  enemies,  that  "dwelling  in  the 
land  given  to  our  fathers,"  we  may  serve  him  ?  And 
when  he  answered ;  No.  How  natural  was  it  for 
them  to  ask  the  further  question :  Ai-t  thou  Elias,  the 
"messenger  who  should  prepare  the  way  before" 
Messiah  ?  And  when,  again,  he  answered,  I^o :  how 
perfectly  natural  their  surprise ;  a  surprise  which  finds 
expression  in  their  last  question ;  "  Why  baptizest  thou 
tlien,  if  thou  be  not  that  Christ,  nor  Elias,  neither 
that  Prophet?"  On  this  supposition,  not  only  is  the 
conduct  of  the  Pharisees  natural ;  but  every  part  of  the 
record  is  perfectly  plain.  But  adopt  the  Baptist  hypo- 
thesis, that  baptism  was  an  entirely  new  rite,  of  the  na- 
tm'e  of  which  the  Jews  knew  nothing,  except  what 
they  could  gather  from  its  being  an  immersion  (for 
John  gave  no  exposition  of  the  nature  of  baptism,  in 
in  so  far  as  appears  from  the  Gospel  narrative),  and 
how  inexplicable  the  question  of  the  Pharisees 
appears. 

§  7.  Johi's  Silence  resj)ecting  the  Nature  of  Baptism 
significant. 

In  so  far  as  appears  from  the  sacred  record,  nei- 
ther John  nor  Christ  ever  gave  any  special  exposi- 
tion of  the  nature  of  baptism,  unless  we  regard  our 


61 


LorcFs  parting  M-orcls  to  his  disciples  (Mark  xvi.  16), 
after  his  resurrection,  as  such.  Certain  it  is,  that  we 
have  not  the  slightest  hint  of  any  explanation  of  its 
nature  having  been  given  by  them,  at  the  time  these 
Pharisees  came  to  John,  and  questioned  him  in  the 
numner  related  in  John  i.  19-25.  And  yet,  both 
John  and  the  Pharisees  talk  about  baptism  as  if  it 
Avere  a  rite,  the  nature  of  whicli  was  well  understood 
by  all  parties.  And  in  just  the  same  unquestioning 
manner  had  "Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the 
region  round  about  Jordan."  already  been"  baptized  of 
John,  in  Jordan,  confessing  their  sins."  (Matt.  iii.  5,  6.) 
IIow  strange  does  all  this  seem,  on  the  supposition 
that  baptism  was  a  new  rite,  then,  for  the  first  time, 
administered  in  Judea. 

Some  have  attempted  to  explain  this,  by  saying 
that  the  Jews  had  been  familiarized  with  baptism  as 
a  religious  rite,  by  their  established  rite  of  proselyte 
Jjaptism  j  and  therefore,  no  question  is  asked,  nor 
answer  given,  respecting  its  nature  in  John's  day. 
The  existence  of  the  rite  of  proselyte  baptism  among 
the  Jews,  in  John's  day,  rests  upon  no  higher  autho- 
rity than  the  Talmud,  a  part  of  which  was  not 
written  until  the  seventh  century,  and  the  remainder 
still  later :  and  the  fact  that  the  law  of  Moses  prescribes 
a  different  rite  for  the  admission  of  a  proselyte  into  the 
Jewish  Church,  renders  its  practice  then  exceedingly 


62  THE   DOCTKINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

improbable.'  "And  when  a  stranger  shall  sojourn 
with  thee,  and  will  keep  the  Passover  of  the  Lord, 
let  all  his  males  be  circumcised^  and  then  let  him 
come  near  and  keej)  it;  and  he  shall  be  as  one  that, 
is  born  in  the  land ;  for  no  uncircnmcised  person 
shall  eat  thereof."     (Exodus  xii.  48.) 

Others  would  get  rid  of  the  difficulty  by  supposing 
that  John  did  give  an  exposition  of  the  nature  of 
baptism,  although  no  record  is  made  of  it  in  the 
Gospels.  Eespecting  this  supposition,  we  remark: 
1.  It  seems  passing  strange,  that  such  should  have 
been  the  course  pursued  by  the  Evangelists,  in  the 
case  of  a  sacred  rite  entirely  new ;  and  such,  most 
Baptist  writers  contend  that  this  rite  is;  when  in  the 
case  of  the  only  other  sacrament  instituted  in  the 
Church,  viz.  the  Lord's  Supper,  confessedly  only  the 
Gospel  counterpart  of  the  Paschal  Supper,  observed 
from  the  days  of  Moses,  they  are  so  particular  in 
recording  our  Lord's  exposition  of  its  nature.  "And 
he  took  bread,  and  gave  thanks,  and  brake  it,  and 
gave  it  unto  them,  saying,  this  is  my  body  which  is 
given  for  you  ;  this  do  in  remembrance  of  me.  Like- 
wise, also,  the  cup,  after  supper,  saying,  this  cup  is  the 
New  Testament  in  my  blood,  which  is  shed  for  you." 

'  For  a  fuller  examination  of  this  question  respecting  proselyte 
baptism,  the  reader  is  referred  to  Jenning's  Jewish  Antiquities,  Book 
I.  chap.  3. 


John's  silence  respecting   baptism.  53 

(Luke  xxii.  19,  20.)  See  also  Matt  xxvi.  26-30,  and 
Mark  xiv.  22-25.  2.  It  is  at  variance  with  the 
soundest  principles  of  biblical  criticism,  to  explain  a 
difhcultv,  by  supposing  something  of  which  the 
IScriptures  give  us  no  hint,  when  it  can  be  as  well,  or 
better,  explained  from  the  Scriptures  themselves. 
Even  in  the  best  view  which  we  can  take  of  such  a 
course,  it  is  preferring  an  apocryphal  explanation  to 
a  scriptural  one. 

In  this  fact,  then,  that  in  the  Gospel  narrative, 
baptism  breaks  upon  us  as  an  unquestioned,  and 
evidently,  a  well-understood  rite,  we  have  very  strong 
confirmation  of  the  view  we  have  taken:  That  bap- 
tism is  substantially  the  same  with  the  purifications 
established  under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation. 

A  further  proof  of  the  correctness  of  this  view  we 
shall  have,  when  we  come  to  examine  particularly 
the  nature  of  John's  baptism;  a  Jewish,  and  not  a 
Christian  baptism ;  and  performed,  whilst  as  yet,  the 
Old  Testament  dipensation  had  not  passed  away. 


54  THK    DOCTEINE    OF    BAPTISMS. 


CHAPTER    III. 

MOSAIC    LAWS    OF    PURIFICATION. 

§8.  Rites  of  personal  Purification.  §9.  Rites  of  Purification  for  inanimate  Things. 
§  10.  Purification  by  bathing  anil  washing.  §  11.  Effects  of  Purification. 
§  12.  Definition  of  the  Term  purify  (katharizo).  §  13.  Definition  of  the  Term 
laptize  (b(ipUzo),  as  used  in  the  TVord  of  God. 

In  our  examination  of  Jno.  iii.  25,  26,  and  i.  19-25, 
having  seen  good  reason  to  believe  that  John  and  his 
disciples,  and  the  Jews,  considered  John's  baptism 
as  essentially  a  rite  of  purification,  we  propose,  in 
the  present  chapter,  to  give  a  summary  of  the  Old 
Testament  law  of  purification ;  that  we  may  be  pre- 
pared, the  more  intelligently,  to  examine  into  the 
use  of  the  word  baptizo  by  the  sacred  writers. 

The  Mosaic  law  of  purification  is  embraced  in  the 
following  passages,  viz.  Ex.  xxx.  17-21.  The  rites 
of  purification  for  a  priest  about  to  engage  in  the 
services  of  the  sanctuary.  Lev.  xi.  31-46.  The  rites 
of  purification  for  any  person  or  thing  defiled  by  the 
touch  of  an  unclean  animal  or  creeping  thing.  Lev. 
xii.      The   rites   of  purification   for   a  woman   after 


MOSAIC   LAWS   OF   PUEIFIOATION.  55 

childbirth.  (Lev.  xiv.)  The  rites  of  purification  for 
the  leper.  (Lev.  xv.)  The  rites  of  purification  for 
those  having  issues,  &c.  (Lev.  xvii.  15,  16.)  The 
rites  of  purification  for  one  who  had  eaten  that 
which  died  of  itself.  (Xumb.  xix.)  The  rites  of  puri- 
fication for  one  who  had  touched  a  dead  body,  or  a 
bone,  or  a  grave.  (Xumb.  xxxi.  19-24.)  The  rites 
of  purification  for  soldiers  after  battle,  and  for  spoils 
taken  in  battle.  In  Heb.  ix.  19-22,  Paul  gives  a 
brief  summary  of  the  rites  of  purification  for  the 
"tabernacle  and  all  the  vessels  of  the  ministry," 
written  out  more  at  large  in  various  places  in  the 
books  of  Exodus  and  Leviticus. 

After  a  careful  examination,  we  present  the  fol- 
lowing, as  a  correct  summary  of  the  Mosaic  law  of 
purification. 

§  8.  Rites  of  personal  Purification. 

1.  Fm'  a  slight  defilement;  such  as  that  arising 
from  the  touch  of  an  unclean  animal;  the  washing 
of  the  clothes  alone.  (Lev.  xi.  23.)  For  defilement 
resulting  from  eating  an  animal  which  had  died  of 
itself;  or  from  having  a  running  issue;  or  from 
sprinkling  with  the  "water  of  separation"  an  unclean 
person  or  tent;  the  washing  of  the  clothes,  and  the 
bathing  of  the  body  in  water.     (Lev.  xv.  8,  xvii.  15, 


66  THE    DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

xix.  19.)  For  such  defilement  as  a  priest  would 
acquire  in  tlie  routine  of  every-daj  life;  the  washing 
of  the  hands  and  the  feet.     (Exod.  xxx.  19.) 

2.  J^or  more  serious  defilement  ',  such  as  that  con- 
tracted in  childbirth;  the  offering  of  a  presciibed 
sacrifice.  (Lev.  xii.  6,  7.)  For  defilement  arising 
from  touching  a  dead  body,  or  bone,  or  grave ; 
sprinkling  M'itli  the  "water  of  separation,"  or  "the 
ashes  of  an  heifer.'-  (Numb.  xix.  17,  18.)  For 
defilement  arising  from  leprosy ;  sprinkling  with 
blood  and  water  seven  times,  the  touching  of  cer- 
tain parts  of  the  body  with  blood  and  oil,  the  offer- 
ing of  certain  prescribed  sacrifices,  the  shaving  of 
the  head  and  the  face,  and  the  washing  of  the  person 
and  clothes  in  water.     (Lev  xiv.  2-32.) 


§  9.  Rites  of  Pimfication  for  inanimate  Things. 

For  clothing,  skins,  sacks  and  culinary  vessels  of 
wood,  purification  was  effected  by  washing,  rinsing 
or  di]3ping  in  water.  (Lev.  xv.  12 — 17,  and  xi,  32.) 
The  purification  of  tents,  houses,  and  all  ordinary 
household  furniture,  w^as  by  sprinkling  with  the 
"water  of  separation."  (ITumb.  xix.  18.)  Gold  and 
all  that  would  abide  the  fire,  when  taken  as  spoils  in 
battle,  was  purified  by  passing  through  the  fire,  and 


BATHINGS    AND   WASHINGS.  57 

then  sprinkling  Avith  "the  water  of  separation." 
(Xnnib.  xxxi.  22,  23.)  Altars,  the  Tabernacle,  and 
"all  the  vessels  of  the  ministry,"  were  puriiied  by 
sprinkling  with  blood.     (Heb.  ix.  21,  22.) 


§  10.  The  Bathings  and  Washings  required  by  the  Law. 

On  the  subject  of  the  bathings  and  washings 
required  by  the  law  of  Moses,  we  remark : 

1.  The  words  used  in  the  Hebrew,  and  in  the 
Greek  of  the  Septuagint,  and  translated  in  our  Eng- 
lish vei-sion  by  the  words  bathe  and  wash,  are,  con- 
fessedly, woi'ds  having  no  reference  to  mode;  and, 
therefore,  are  properly  translated  in  our  English  ver- 
sion. In  Lev.  XV.  5,  both  of  these  words  occur. 
"And  whosoever  shall  touch  his  bed,  shall  wash 
{Sept.  jAunei)  his  clothes,  and  hathe  (Sept.  lousetai) 
himself  in  water."  In  the  "New  Version,"  the  first 
of  these  words  is  translated  wash  in  Eev.  vii.  14. 
"And  they  washed  their  robes;"  and  the  other  is 
translated  wash  also,  in  Rev.  i.  5.  "And  washed  us 
from  our  sins."  Tlie  Greek  language  has  the  word 
l:atadmio^  corresponding  exactly  to  our  word  im- 
merse; and  the  word  lajyto,  meaning  to  dip  (although 
this  is  not  its  only  meaning),  and  the  last  mentioned 
of  these  words  is  frequently  used  in  the  Septuagint, 
3* 


58  THE   DOCTRINE    OF    BAPTISMS. 

in  tlie  sense  of  dip;  and  this  in  tlie  very  passages  in 
which  the  bathing  of  the  body  is  prescribed  (e.  g. 
Lev.  xix.  18,  19,  "And  he  shall  take  hyssop,  and 
dijp  (bajysei)  it  in  water,  &c.);  and  yet,  in  no  instance 
is  either  of  these  words  used  to  designate  the  bath- 
ings enjoined ;  but  instead  thereof,  we  have  general 
terms,  translated  even  in  the  "New  Version"  by  our 
word  wash. 

2.  The  oriental  manner  of  washing  the  hands  and 
feet,  at  the  present  day,  is  not  by  putting  them  in 
water,  but  by  pouring  water  upon  them;  and  this 
has  been  the  custom,  in  eastern  countries,  as  far 
back  as  the  days  of  Ehjah;  as  we  learn  from  2 
Kings,  iii.  11,  M'here  Elijah's  attendant  is  spoken  of 
as  "Elisha,  the  son  of  Shaphat,  who  poured  water  on 
the  hands  of  Elijah."  Tlie  oriental  method  of  bath- 
ing, at  the  present  day,  is  not  by  immersing  the 
body  in  the  water  of  the  bath,  but  by  having  the 
water  thrown  upon  the  body  by  an  attendant,  as  all 
travellers  tell  us. 

3.  A  fundameptal  principle  in  the  Mosaic  law  of 
purification,  viz. :  the  principle  of  defilement  by 
contact,  w^ould  forbid  bathing  by  immersion,  when 
performed  for  purposes  of  purification,  unless  tliat 
bathing  were  in  running  water. 

This  principle  of  defilement  by  contact  runs  all 
through  the  Mosaic  law.     In  the  case  of  "the  water 


BATHINGS    AND    WASHINGS.  59 

of  separation,"  for  example,  the  priest  who  presided 
at  the  slaughter  and  burning  of  the  heifer,  and  the 
person  who  performed  a  part  of  the  labor  under  the 
priest's  direction,  were  both  rendered  unclean,  by 
touching  the  heifer.  The  "clean  person"  who 
gathered  the  ashes  of  the  heifer,  was  rendered 
unclean  by  their  touch.  The  person  who  afterwards 
sprinkled  the  one  to  be  cleansed  by  these  ashes,  was 
rendered  unclean  by  the  act.  And  any  one  even 
touching  "tlie  water  of  separation"  was  thereby 
defiled.  See  Numb.  xix.  That  the  reader  may  see 
liow  far  this  principle  was  carried,  let  him  read 
attentively  Lev.  xi.  33,  34:.  "And  every  earthen 
vessel  wherein  any  of  them"  (i.  e.,  unclean  animal 
or  creeping  thing),  "falleth,  whatsoever  is  in  it,  shall 
be  unclean;  and  ye  shall  break  it.  Of  all  meat 
which  may  be  eaten,  that  on  which  such  water" 
(i.  e.,  water  contained  in  a  vessel  defiled  by  the  toacli 
of  an  unclean  animal  or  creeping  thing),  "cometli, 
shall  be  unclean;  and  all  drink  that  maybe  drunk 
in  any  such  vessel,  shall  be  unclean ;"  the  only  excep- 
tion made  being  in  the  case  of  "a  fountain  or  pit, 
wherein  was  plenty  of  water."  Ver.  36.  Upon  the 
Mosaic  principle  of  defilement  by  contact,  had  a 
person  bathed  by  immersion,  or  washed  his  hands  by 
dipping  them  in  any  ordinary  household  water-vessel 
or  bath,  or  even  cistern,  he  would  thereby  have  defiled 


60  THE   DOCTEINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

the  whole  body  of  water,  and  the  vessel  which  con- 
tained it;  and  these,  in  their  turn,  unless  first  purified, 
would  have  defiled  any  water  which  might  subsequent- 
ly liave  been  put  in  them.  And  thus,  one  such  bathing 
would  have  rendered  a  long  series  of  cleansing  acts, 
to  be  subsequently  performed,  absolutely  necessary. 

For  these  three  reasons  we  conclude;  not  simply 
that  there  is  no  evidence  ihat  personal  purifications 
were  ever  effected  by  immersion;  we  go  further 
than  this,  and  affirm  that  the  Scriptures  give  us  good 
reason  to  believe  that  immersion  was  never  resorted 
to  for  such  a  purpose. 

The  only  instances  in  which  immersion  may  have 
been  resorted  to,  was  in  the  purification  of  certain 
inanimate  things,  such  as  "raiment,  skins,  sacks,  and 
culinary  vessels  of  wood."  Of  these,  it  is  said  in 
Lev.  xi.  32,  "They  must  be  put  in  water."  (Sept. 
l>aphasetai.)  Tlie  quantity  of  water  defiled  in  im- 
mersing such  things  would  be  small,  and  the  Mosaic 
law,  in  its  principles,  miglit  be  observed  without 
great  inconvenience. 

§11.  The  Effect  of  Purification. 

An  unclean  person,  according  to  the  law  of  Moses, 
was,  in  all  circumstances,  excluded  from  participa- 
tion in  the  public  worship  of  Jehovah,  and  from  all 


EFFECT   OF    PURIFICATION.  61 

intimate  association  with  God's  people.  If  the 
imcleanness  were  not  of  a  serious  kind,  it  did  not 
cxchide  a  person  from  all  association  with  the  clean ; 
l)ut  only  such  intimate  association  as  is  involved  in 
eating  together.  (Acts  x.  28.)  But  if  the  unclean- 
ness  were  such  as  that  resulting  from  touching  a 
dead  body  slain  in  battle,  or  from  the  leprosy,  it 
excluded  the  person  from  the  camp  or  city  where  his 
brethren  were.  (Numb.  xxxi.  34,  Lev.  xiii.  45,  46.) 
In  all  instances,  even  those  of  slightest  uncleanness,  the 
unclean  person  was  strictly  excluded  from  the  sanc- 
tuary; and  this,  in  certain  cases,  under  penalty  of 
death.  (Lev.  xii.  4;  ISrumb.  xix.  20;  Ex.  xxx.  21; 
Acts  xxi.  27-29.)  Purification  removed  these  re- 
strictions, and  admitted  the  purified  person  to  un- 
restrained association  with  God's  people,  and  gave 
him  access  to  the  solemn,  public  worship  of  Jehovah. 

An  unclean  thing  could  not  be  used  in  the  service 
of  the  sanctuary ;  nor  by  a  clean  person,  in  the  ordi- 
nary business  of  life.  Purification  removed  these 
restrictions. 

The  rites  of  purification  prescribed  in  the  law  of 
Moses  had  a  reference  to  the  state  and  condition  of 
things  then  existing,  and  an  immediate  efi'ect  upon 
the  person  receiving  them,  in  admitting  that  person 
to  unrestrained  association  with  God's  people,  and 
to  participation  in  the  public  worship  of  Jehovah. 


6^.  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

Besides  this — they  were  all  typical,  exhibiting  spirit- 
ual truth  in  a  visible  form,  as  we  are  most  clearly 
.taught  in  the  word  of  God ;  and  thus  they  formed  a 
homogeneous  part  of  the  system  of  worship  established 
in  Moses'  day,  which  was  "  a  shadow  of  good  things 
to  come."  As  in  uncleanness,  and  its  consequence, 
ill  excluding  the  unclean  person  from  association  with 
God's  people,  and  all  part  in  his  public  worship,  we 
have  symbolized  sin  in  its  fearful  consequences ;  so  in 
purification,  and  its  visible  effect,  we  have  symbo- 
lized the  removal  of  guilt  and  the  blessed  consequences 
flowine;  therefrom. 


§  12.  Definition  of  the  word  Purify  (katharizo). 

With  this  summary  of  tlie  Mosaic  law  of  purifica- 
tion before  us,  we  give  as  a  definition  of  the  word 
purify,  as  used  in  Scripture  : — 

1.  To  purify  is  to  administer  a  prescribed  rite,  by 
which  a  person,  before  excluded  from  association 
with  God's  people  and  the  worship  of  the  sanctuary, 
is  publicly  declared  to  be  re-admitted  to  association 
with  the  one  and  participation  in  the  other.  This 
may  be  called  the  technio  sense  of  the  word. 
Ex.  "  And  the  Levites  were  jpurifiefV  (i.  e.  had  the 
rite  of  purification  administered  to  them),  "  and  they 


DEFmrnoN  of  tut.  word  purift.  '^S 

washed  their  garments,  and  Aaron  oflPered  them  as  an 
offering  unto  the  Lord."    (Numb,  ^^ii.  21.) 

2.  To  Jpurify  is  visibly  to  separate  unto  God's  ser- 
vice. This  we  would  call  the  literal  sense  of  the 
term.  Ex.  "  And  the  priest  shall  offer  it  before  the 
Lord,  and  make  an  atonement  for  lier,  and  she  shall 
be  cleansed^''  {purified — i.  e.  the  restriction  arising 
from  the  issue  of  her  blood  shall  be  removed,  and  she 
visibly  separated  unto  God's  service)  "  from  tlie  issue 
of  her  blood."   (Lev.  xii.  7.) 

These  two  uses  of  the  word  imrify  may  be  illus- 
trated by  our  use  of  the  analogous  word  inaugurate. 
We  may  say  that  the  delivering  of  the  keys  and  a 
Bible  are  a  part  of  the  inauguration  of  the  president 
of  a  college — meaning  by  the  inauguration,  the  rite  by 
which  a  new  president  is  inducted  into  office.  Or, 
using  the  term  in  wliat  we  have  called  a  literal  sense, 
we  may  say,  that  a  president  of  a  certain  college  was 
inaugurated  under  very  favorable  circumstances — 
meaning  thereby  that  he  was  inducted  into  office 
under  very  favorable  circumstances. 

3.  Since  the  purifying  rites  of  the  law  symbolized 
the  removal  of  the  guilt  and  pollution  of  sin,  the 
word  purify  naturally  came  to  be  used  in  what  we 
would  call  its  spiritual  sense,  the  name  of  the  symbol 
being  put  for  that  of  the  thing  symbolized.  When 
thus  used,  it  means  regenerate,  sanctify.     Ex.  "  And 


64  THE   DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

lie  shall  pttrify  (i.  e.  sanctify)  the  sons  of  Levi,  that 
that  they  may  ofler  unto  the  Lord  an  offering  in  right- 
eousness." (Mai.  iii.  3.)  This  is  much  the  most 
common  use  of  the  word  in  the  New  Testament. 
Ex.  "  And  put  no  difference  between  us  and  them, 
purifying^''  (i.  e.  sanctifying)  "  their  hearts  by  faith." 
(Acts,  XV.  9.) 

Which  of  these  three  senses  belongs  to  the  word 
purify,  in  any  particular  passage  of  Scripture,  must 
be  determined  by  an  examination  of  the  context ; 
and,  as  a  general  thing,  the  Bible  student  will  find 
but  little  difficulty  in  thus  determining  the  meaning 
of  the  word  in  each  particular  passage. 


§13.  Definition  of  BajMze  (haptizo). 

As  abeady  intimated,  we  believe  that  the  word 
BAPTizo,  when  used  as  a  religious  term,  is  used  in  the 
Word  of  God,  as  substantially  the  same  in  meaning 
with  the  word  Kathaeizo.  And  hence  we  would 
define  it : — 

1.  To  mean  the  administration  of  a  rite,  whereby 
a  person  is  admitted  to  association  with  God's  people. 
This  we  call  its  technic  sense. 

2.  To  mean  the  visible  separation  of  the  baptized 
person  from   the   world,  and   into    association  with 


DEFINITION    OF   BAPTIZE.  65 

God's  people.  This  we  call  its  literal  sense.  In 
this  sense  its  meaning  is  very  nearly  the  same  with 
the  word  consecrate. 

3.  To  mean  regenerate,  sanctify.  This  we  call  its 
spiritual  sense. 

And  we  add — that  as  in  the  case  of  the  word 
purify,  we  must  determine  which  of  these  senses 
belongs  to  it,  in  any  particular  passage  of  Scripture, 
by  an  examination  of  the  context. 

Note. — Tliat  we  may  avoid  the  constantly  repeated  introduc- 
tion of  tlie  word  baptizo,  in  the  following  pages,  the  use  of  this 
word  in  the  original  will  be  indicated  by  printing  tlie  corres- 
ponding words  in  small  capitals — baptize,  baptism.  The  same 
rule  will  be  observed  with  respect  to  the  word  Katharizo, 
translated  in  our  English  Bible  by  the  words  ptjeify,   cleanse, 

PUEGE. 


6Q  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 


CHAPTER    lY. 

EXAMINATION  OF  THE  USE  OF  BAPTIZO,  IN  THE  8EPTUAGINT 
VERSION  OF   THE  OLD  TESTAMENT. 

§  14.   II.  Kings,  V.  14.    §  15.  Ecclesiasticus,  xxxiv.  25.    §  16.  Judith,  xii.  7.    §  IT. 
Isaiah,  xxi.  4. 

The  word  ?)apt{so  is  used  four  times  iu  the  septnagint 
version  of  the  Old  Testameut.  As  it  is  in  this  ver- 
sion we  iirst  meet  with  tlie  Hellenistic  Greek,  or 
Greek  of  the  Synagogue,  the  peculiar  idiom  in  which 
the  New  Testament  is  written,  we  will  examine 
these  instances  before  turning  to  the  New  Testament 
itself. 

§  14.  //.  Kings,  Y.  14. 

"  And.  his  (1.  e.  Naanian's)  servants  came  near 
and  spake  unto  him,  and  said :  My  father,  if  the 
prophet  had  bid  thee  do  some  great  thing,  wouldst 
thou  not  have  done  it  ?  how  much  rather  then,  when 
he  saith  to  thee,  Wash,  and  be  clean."  (v.  13.) 
"Then  went  he  down,  and  dipped  (baptized)  himself 


BAPTIZO    IN    THE    OLD    TESTAMENT,  67 

seven  times  in  Jordan,  accordiug  to  the  saying  of  the 
man  of  God  ;  and  his  flesli  came  again  like  unto  the 
flesh  of  a  little  child,  and  he  was  clean."  (v.  l-i.) 

That  this  washing  here  enjoined  was  considered, 
both  hj  Elisha  and  Naaman,  as  a  religious  washing 
or  purification,  and  is  so  set  forth  in  the  context,  ap- 
pears from  several  considerations. 

1.  The  cure  sought  was  expected,  not  from  any 
medicinal  action  of  the  waters  of  the  Jordan,  but  from 
a  direct  exercise  of  divine  power.  Hence  Elisha's 
language,  in  his  message  to  the  king  of  Israel, — ''  Let 
liim  come  now  unto  me,  and  he  shall  know  that 
there  is  aj^rophet"  (not  a  physician)  "  in  Israel,"  (v.  8.) 
And  hence,  too,  ISTaaman's  language,  when  he  turned 
away  in  a  rage :  "  Behold,  I  thought,  he  will  surely 
come  out  to  me,  and  stand  and  call  on  the  name  of 
the  Lord  his  God,  and  strike  his  hand  over  the  place, 
and  recover  the  leper,"  (v,  11.)  It  will  not  appear 
strange  that  Naaman,  although  a  Syrian  and  not  an 
Israelite,  should  thus  have  understood  this  matter,  if 
we  call  to  mind  the  fact  that  religious  washings  or 
purifications  were  not  peculiar  to  the  Israelites,  but 
formed  a  part  of  the  ritual  worslnp  of  almost  all  an- 
cient nations ;  as  they  do  of  many  heathen  nations 
at  the  present  day.  To  bathe  in  tJie  sacred  waters  of 
the  Ganges  is  one  of  the  highest  acts  of  devotion 
which  the  Hindoo  can  perfoi-m  ;  and  of  the  existence 


bo  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

of  similar  notions  at  a  very  early  day,  we  have  a 
proof  in  the  washing  of  Pharoah's  daughter  at  the 
Nile,  "  not  for  pleasure,  but  for  purification,"  as 
Bishop  Patrick  remarks.     (See  Exod.  ii.  5.) 

2.  Elisha  promises  to  Naaman,  on  condition  of 
obedience,  not  healing  only,  but  cleansing  also.  "  Go 
and  wash  in  Jordan  eeven  times,  and  thy  flesh  shall 
come  again  to  thee"  (here  is  the  promise  of  healing), 
"  and  thou  shalt  be  clean  "  (here  is  the  promise  of 
cleansing  also).  And  in  the  subsequent  account  of 
IJ^aaman's  obedience,  and  its  consequences,  we  read, 
"  And  his  flesh  came  again,  like  unto  the  flesh  of  a 
little  child"  (here  was  the  healing),  "  and  he  was 
CLEAN,"  or  CLEANSED  (here  was  the  cleansing  also). 
And  let  the  reader  notice,  that  the  word  translated, 
clean,  is,  in  both  instances,  the  word  commonly  used 
in  the  Septuagint  to  designate  the  cleansings  or  puri- 
fications enjoined  in  the  law  of  Moses. 

3.  After  the  cure  of  his  leprosy  is  efiected,  Naa- 
man  treats  his  washing  in  Jordan  as  a  cleansing  or 
purification,  i.  e.  a  separation  unto  the  worship  of 
Jehovah  the  God  of  Israel,  by  the  direction  of  whose 
Prophet,  and  in  the  river  of  the  land  of  whose  pecu- 
liar people,  the  washing  had  been  performed.  "  And 
he  (Naaman)  said.  Behold,  now  I  know  that  there  is 
no  God  in  all  the  earth  but  in  Israel ;  thy  servant 
will  henceforth  offer  neither  burnt-offering  nor  sacri- 


BAPTIZO   IN   THE   OLD   TESTAMENT.  69 

fice  unto  other  gods,  but  unto  the  Lord."  (Yerses 
15-17.) 

Admitting  now,  that  the  word  used  in  the  original 
Hebrew,  the  inspired  text,  is  a  word  which  means  to 
dij)  (although  this  is  not  its  only  meaning,  since  in 
Gen.  xxxvii.  31,  the  seventy  translate  it  by  moluno^ 
M'hich  never  means  to  dip,  but  "  to  soil,  to  stain,  to 
defile"),  the  question  comes  up,  why  did  the  seventy, 
in  their  rendering  of  the  passage  under  examination, 
translate  it  by  the  word  haptizo?  The  Baptist 
answers — Because  Naamau's  washing  was  a  dipping 
in  Jordan,  and  haptizo  was  the  proper  word  to  convey 
this  idea.  We  answer,  because  they  regarded  it  as  a 
religious  washing,  and  they  meant  so  to  designate  it 
by  styling  it  a  baptism. 

Our  answer  is,  we  think,  the  more  probable  one, 
for  two  reasons :  1.  The  i-eligious  character  of  IS^aa- 
man's  washing  is  prominently  set  forth  in  the  con- 
text, whilst  its  character  as  an  immersion  (if  he  did 
dip  himself  in  Jordan,)  is  left  to  be  inferred  from  the 
one  fact  that  it  was  performed  in  or  at  the  Jordan. 
2.  This  is  the  only  instance  in  which  the  Hebrew 
word,  here  translated  by  haptizo^  is  used  to  designate 
a  religious  washing  or  purification  ;  and  it  is  the  only 
instance  in  which  the  seventy  have  translated  it  by 
lajjtizo.  It  occurs  in  the  Hebrew  text,  in  Gen. 
xxxvii.  31 ;  Exod.  xii.  22  ;  Lev.  ix.  9 ;  Deut.  xxxiii.  24 ; 


70  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

Eutli,  ii.  14;  2  Kings,  viii.  15,  in  the  sense  of  dip  or 
stain,  and  in  none  of  these  instances  is  it  translated  by 
baptiso. 

What  weight  ought  to  be  given  to  Dr.  Carson's 
frivohjns  objection,  that  "  if  the  meaning  of  the  word 
is  purity,  then  there  would  be  seven  purifications,"  * 
the  reader  will  learn,  by  turning  to  Lev.  xiv.,  where 
in  the  process  for  cleansing  the  leper,  he  is  at  three 
different  stages  of  his  cleansing  pronounced  clean  by 
the  priest,  vs.  Y,  9  and  20 ;  or  from  Dr.  Carson's 
own  use  of  the  word  baptism,  by  which  he  under- 
stands immersion,  and  innnersion  only,  when  speaking 
of  the  "trine-immersion"  practised  in  the  Greek 
church ;  the  three  immersions  constituting  but  one 
baptism  (i.e.  immersion  according  to  Dr.  C). 


§  15.  Ecclesiasticus,  XXXIV.  25. 

"  He  that  washeth  {haptizeth^  Sep.)  himself  after 
the  touching  of  a  dead  body,  if  he  touch  it  again, 
what  availeth  his  washing?" 

Tliat  the  cleansing  rite  here  referred  to,  and  styled 
a  BAPTISM  in  the  Septuagint,  is  the  rite  prescribed  in 
the  19th  chapter  of  Numbers,  is  conceded  on  all 
hands.     The  cleansing  of  a  person  who  had  become 

^  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  316. 


BAFriZO    IN    THE   OLD   TESTAMENT.  71 

defiled  by  touching  a  dead  body,  was  eflected  by 
one  rite,  and  one  only,  viz.:  sprinkling  upon  liim 
"tlic  water  of  separation."  "Whoso  toucheth  the 
dead  body  of  any  man  that  is  dead,  and  pukifietii 
not  himself,  delileth  the  tabernacle  of  the  Lord ;  and 
that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  Israel:  because  the 
water  of  separation  was  not  sjJrinJdecl  upon  Jiirn,  he 
shall  be  unclean;  his  uncleanness  is  yet  upon  him. 
But  the  man  that  shall  be  unclean,  and  shall  not 
PUEIFT  himself,  that  soul  shall  be  cut  off  from  among 
the  congregation,  because  he  hath  defiled  the  sanc- 
tuary of  the  Lord ;  the  water  of  separation  hath  not 
hecn  sjrrinldecl  upon  him;  he  is  unclean,"  ]^umb. 
xix.  13,  20.  "For  if  the  blood  of  bulls  and  of  goats, 
and  the  ashes  of  a  heifer  sprinMing  the  unclean, 
sanctifieth  to  the  pukifting  of  the  flesh."  Heb.  ix, 
13.  The  expressions  "ashes  of  a  heifer"  and  "water 
of  separation,"  are  used  interchangeably  in  the 
Scriptures,  to  designate  the  purifying  material  used 
in  this  rite.  An  instance  of  this  we  have  in  Niunb. 
xix.  9.  "And  a  man  that  is  clean  shall  gather  up 
the  ashes  of  the  heifer,  and  lay  them  up  without  the 
camp  in  a  clean  place,  and  it  shall  be  kept  for  the 
congregation  of  the  children  of  Israel,  for  a  water  of 
separation?''  This  use  of  these  expressions  has 
arisen,  doubtless,  from  the  fact  that  the  ashes  of  the 
heifer  was  the  essential  ingredient  in  "  the  water  of 


72  THE   DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

separation,"  and  the  material  actually  sprinkled 
upon  the  person  to  be  cleansed. 

If  the  word  haptizo  "  always  signifies  to  dip,  never 
expressing  anything  but  mode,"  we  ask  where  was 
the  baptism  here?  Dr.  Carson  writes:  "The  answer 
must  be  obvious  to  every  person  who  consults 
Numb.  xix.  19,  which  shows  that  sprinkling  was  but 
a  part  of  that  purification,  and  that  the  unclean 
person  was  also  haihed  hi  water.  It  is  this  bathing 
which  is  effected  by  baptism."  * 

Numb.  xix.  19  reads:  "  And  the  clean  person  shall 
sprinkle  upon  the  unclean  on  the  third  day,  and  on 
the  seventh  day;  and  on  the  seventh  day  he  shall 
purify  himself,  and  wash  his  clothes,  and  bathe  him- 
self in  water,  and  shall  be  clean  at  even."  Here  "  Ae" 
has  for  its  antecedent,  '■Hhe  clean  person  who  shall 
spinnkle  %ipon  tlie  unclean^  This  which  appears, 
even  in  our  English  version,  is  seen  most  clearly  in 
the  Septuagint,  and  is  placed  beyond  all  question  by 
ver.  21,  which  is  an  explanatory  repetition  of  ver. 
19,  just  as  ver.  20  is  of  ver.  13.  "And  it  shall  be  a 
perpetual  statute  unto  them,  that  he  that  sprinJdeth 
the  water  of  separation  shall  wash  his  clothes;  and 
he  that  toncheth  the  water  of  separation  shall  be 
unclean  until  even."  The  fact  that  he  is  spoken  of, 
in  ver.  19,  as  a  "clean  person,"  is  not  at  variance 

*  CarSon  on  Baptism,  p.  66. 


BAPTIZO   IN   THE    OLD   TESTAIIENT.  73 

with  this  idea,  since  he  became  unclean  by  the 
operation  of  sprinkling.  His  case  is  just  like  that  of 
the  one  who  gathered  "the  ashes  of  the  heifer." 
"And  a  man  that  is  clean  shall  gather  the  ashes  of 
the  heifer;  and  he  that  gathereth  the  ashes  of  the 
heifer,  shall  wash  his  clothes  and  be  undcan  until 
even."  Vers.  9,  10.  The  defilement  acquired  by 
the  person  thus  sprinkling  the  water  of  separation, 
as  also  that  acquired  in  gathering  the  ashes  of  the 
heifer,  was  but  a  slight  defilement,  and,  therefore, 
was  purged  awa}^,  bj  bathing  the  body  and  washing 
the  clothes;  the  rites  of  purification  for  cases  of 
slight  defilement.     (See  §  7.) 

Most  unfortunately,  then,  for  Dr.  Carson's  expla- 
nation, the  person  who  had  become  unclean  by 
touching  a  dead  body,  and  whose  purification  is 
styled  a  baptism  in  the  passage  under  examination, 
was  not  the  person  directed  to  bathe  himself  and 
wash  his  clothes.  For  him,  there  is  but  one  purify- 
ing rite  prescribed,  and  that  is  sprinkling  with  the 
water  of  separation.  Here  then,  we  have  a  rite,  to 
which  the  name  of  a  baptism  is  given  in  the  Septua- 
gint,  which  was,  beyond  all  question,  a  purification; 
and  in  which,  according  to  the  express  declaration 
of  Scripture,  there  was  nothing  approaching  nearer 
to  an  immersion  than  sprinkling  with  the  water  of 
separation. 

4 


74  THK   DOCTKINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

Instance  of  the  %ise  of  the  word  baptizo  as  a  religioub 
term  hy  Josejphus. 

"When,  therefore,  any  persons  were  defiled  by  a 
dead  body,  they  put  a  little  of  these  ashes"  (i.  e.,  the 
ashes  of  the  heifer)  "into  spring  water,  with  hyssop, 
and  dipping  (baptizing,  Josephns)  part  of  these 
ashes  in  it,  they  sprinkled  with  it,  both  on  the  third 
day  and  on  the  seventh,  and  after  that  they  were 
clean."  (Josephus'  Antiquities  of  the  Jews,  book  iv. 
chap.  4th,  Whiston's  translation.) 

This  instance  from  Josephus  is  the  only  one  cited 
by  Dr.  Carson,  in  which  the  word  haptizo  seems  to 
be  used  as  a  religious  term;  and  we  direct  the  read- 
er's attention  to  it,  in  connection  with  the  examina- 
tion of  Ecclesiasticiis  xxxiv.  25,  because  they  both 
refer  to  the  same  cleansing  rite.  Josephus,  in  the 
passage  under  examination,  is  evidently  giving  a 
summary  of  the  Mosaic  law  contained  in  the  19th 
chapter  of  Numbers. 

In  what  sense  does  Josephus  use  the  word  baptizo, 
when  he  speaks  of  the  ashes  as  being  baptizkd  in  the 
water?  Evidently  in  the  sense  of  dipping,  says  Dr. 
Carson;  and  so  Winston  has  translated  it.  To  this 
we  object.  The  ashes  are  already  described  as  "put 
into  the  sj)ring  water,"  in  the  member  of  the  sen- 
tence immediately  preceding  this;   and  to  translate 


BAPTIZO   IN   THE   OLD   TESTAMENT.  Y5 

laptizo  here,  to  dip,  is  to  make  one  member  of  tlie 
sentence  a  mere  useless  repetition  of  the  other.  The 
word  is  here  used  in  the  sense  of  purify,  i.  e.,  set 
apart  for  a  sacred  use;  for  this  is  the  sense  of  the 
word  purify,  when  used  respecting  inanimate  things. 
(See  §  10.) 

As  a  substitute  for  the  awkward  (to  say  the  J  east 
of  it)  translation  of  Whiston,  we  would  render  it: 
'•When,  therefore,  any  persons  were  defiled  by  a 
dead  body,  they  put  a  little  of  the  ashes  to  spring 
water,  and  thus  (baptizing)  setting  them  opart  to  a 
sacred  tise,  with  hyssop,  they  sprinkle  the  unclean 
person  with  them  on  the  third  day,  and  also  on  the 
seventh  day;  and  after  that,  they  are  clean. 


§  16.  Judith  XII.  7. 

Ver.  5.  "Then  the  servant  of  ITolofernes  brought 
her  (Judith)  into  the  tent,  and  she  slept  till 
midnight,  and  she  arose  when  it  was  toward 
the  morning  watcli; 

6.  And  sent  to  Holofernes,  saying,  let  my  lord  now 

command,  that  thine  handmaid  may  go  forth 
unto  pi-ayer. 

7.  Then  Holofernes  commanded  his  guard,  that  they 

should  not  stay  her:    thus  she  abode  in  the 


76  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

camp  three  days,  and  went  out  in  the  night, 
into  the  valley  of  Bethulia,  and  washed  (bap- 
tized, Sep.)  herself  in  a  fountain  of  water,  by 
the  camp. 

8.  And  when  she  came  out,  she  besought  the  Lord 

God  of  Israel,  to  direct  her  way  to  the  raising 
up  of  the  children  of  her  people. 

9.  So  she  came  in  clean,  and  remained  in  her  tent, 

until  she  did  eat  her  meat  in  the  evening. 

That  this  washing  of  Judith,  here  styled  a  bap- 
tism, was  a  religious  washing  or  purification,  appears 
from  several  considerations. 

1.  It  was  a  washing  performed  as  a  preparation 
for  prayer.  "And  she  sent  to  Holofernes,  saying, 
let  my  lord  now  command,  that  thine  handmaid  may 
go  forth  to  prayer.  And  when  she  came  out,  she 
besought  the  Lord  God  of  Israel  to  direct  her  way  to 
the  raising  up  of  the  children  of  her  j)eople."  It  is 
true,  that  in  the  law  of  Moses,  there  is  no  specific 
rite  of  purification  prescribed  as  a  preparation  for 
prayer,  excepting  in  the  case  of  the  priests,  "when 
they  came  near  to  the  altar  to  minister."  (See  Exod. 
XXX.  17-21.)  But  yet,  a  purification  in  preparation 
for  worship  was  practised  by  all,  long  before  Moses' 
day,  as  we  learn  from  Gen.  xxxv.  2.  "Then  Jacob 
said  unto  his  household,  and  all  that  were  with  him : 


BAPTIZO    IN   THE    OLD   TESTAMENT.  YY 

Put  away  the  strange  gods  tliat  are  among  you,  and 
be  CLEAN,  and  change  your  garments.'"  This  direc- 
tion was  given  by  Jacob,  when  about  to  go  up  with 
his  family  to  Betliel,  to  worship. 

2.  The  effect  of  this  washing  is  expressly  declared 
to  be  that  of  a  purification.  "So  she  came  in  clean, 
and  remained  in  the  tent  until  she  did  eat  her  meat 
at  evening." 

That  this  washing  of  Judith  was  performed  by 
immersion,  seems  alrngether  improbable. 

1.  Because  even  the  priests,  when  they  were  about 
to  engage  in  a  move  solemn  act  of  worship;  when 
"they  came  near  to  the  altar  to  minister,"  were 
required  to  wash  their  hands  and  their  feet  only. 
(See  Exod.  xxx.  17-21.)  If  washing  the  hands  and  the 
feet  would  sufiice  to  remove  such  defilement  as  was 
acquired  in  the  ordinary  business  of  life  by  a  priest, 
surely  no  more  would  be  required  of  a  Jewish 
maiden,  and  one  so  careful  to  avoid  every  source  of 
defilement,  as,  from  the  context,  Judith  appears  to 
have  been. 

2.  From  the  10th  verse  of  the  13th  chapter,  we 
learn  that  her  maid  accompanied  Judith,  when  she  thus 
went  forth  to  prayer.  "And  she  gave  Holofernes' 
iiead  to  her  maid,  and  she  put  it  in  her  bag  of  meat; 
so  they  twain  went  together,  according  to  their  cus- 
tom, unto  prayer."     It  is   true  that  other  reasons 


78  THK   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

may  be  assigned  for  this;  Lut  tlie  one  most  naturally 
suggested  by  the  Scriptures,  is,  that  like  Elislia  with 
his  master,  Elijah,  she  went  that  she  might  "pour 
water"  upon  Judith's  hands, 

3.  Because  this  washing  was  performed  by  Judith, 
"in  2,  fountain  of  water,  hy  the  camjp^''  according  to 
our  English  version.  Or  if  we  translate  literally 
from  the  Septuagint,  "in  the  camp,  at  a  fountain  of 
water."  Had  this  record  formed  a  part  of  any  other 
history,  these  facts  alone,  that  the  washing  was  "at 
or  in  a  fountain,"  and  "in  or  near  to"  a  large  mili- 
tary encampment;  and  performed,  too,  by  a  modest 
young  woman,  reared  with  oriental  notions  of  pro- 
priety, would,  we  doubt  not,  have  forever  excluded 
the  idea  of  immersion  from  the  mind  of  every 
reader.  And  all  that  Dr.  Carson  could  say  about 
the  water-troughs,  sometimes  placed  near  to  foun- 
tains, in  the  East;  and  of  the  poetic  fancy  of 
"  Castalian  nymphs  bathing  themselves  in  fountains," 
would  not  alter  that  judgment  one  iota. 

§  17.  Imiah  XXI.  4. 

"My  heart  panted,  fearfulness  affrighted  me  (bap- 
tized me,  Sep.);  the  night  of  my  pleasure  hath  he 
turned  into  fear  unto  me." 

Our  English  version,  "fearfulness  affrighted  me," 


BAPTIZO    m    THE    OLD   TESTAMENT.  79 

is  a  literal  translation  of  the  Hebrew;  so  that  the 
version  of  the  Seventy,  in  their  use  of  the  word 
"  baptized,"  must  be  regarded  as  a  paraphrase  rather 
than  a  translation ;  and  in  just  what  sense  they  did 
nse  it,  it  is  difficult  to  determine.  ITor  is  it  of  any 
importance  that  we  should  determine  its  meaning 
here,  in  so  far  as  our  present  inquiry  is  concerned ; 
since — 1,  "The  language  of  the  whole  passage  is  so 
higldy  figurative,  that  no  prudent  reasoner  would 
make  any  use  of  it  in  determining  the  literal  mean- 
ing of  a  word."  And  2,  Tlie  word  is  here  evidently 
used  as  a  seculai-,  and  not  as  a  religious  term ;  and  it 
is  its  use  as  a  religious  term,  alone,  we  are  attemptr 
ins:  to  determine. 


80  THE   DOCTKINE   OF  BAPTISMS. 


CHAPTEE    Y. 

APPLICATION    OF    hapUzO,    IN    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT,    TO 

MOSAIC    PURIFICATIONS. 

§  18.  Mark  Tii.  4,  and  Luke  xi.  38.    §  19.  Hebrews  ix.  10.    §  20.  Hebrews  vi.  2. 

In  the  New  Testament,  in  four  instances,  ritual 
purifications  prescribed  in  Moses'  law,  are  termed 
baptisms.  These  instances  we  purpose  examining  in 
the  present  chapter. 


§  18.  Ifarlc  YII.  4. 

Yer.  1.  "Then  came  together  unto  him  the  Phari- 
sees, and  certain  of  the  Scribes,  which  came 
from  Jerusalem. 

2.  And  when  they  saw  certain  of  his  disci])les  eat 

bread  with  defiled  (that  is  to  say,  with    un- 
washen)  liands,  they  found  fault. 

3.  For  the  Pliarisees,  and  all  the  Jews,  except  they 

wash  their  hands  oft,  eat  not,  holding  the  tra- 
dition of  the  elders. 


BAPriZO    IN    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT.  81 

And  when  tliey  come  from  the  market,  except 
they  wash  (baptize),  they  eat  not.  And 
many  otlier  things  there  be,  which  they  liave 
received  to  hokl,  as  the  washing  (baptizing) 
of  cups,  and  pots,  and.  brazen  vessels,  and 
tables." 


Luke  XI.  38. 

Ver.    37.    "And    as   he   spake,   a   certain   Pharisee 

besought  him  to  dine  with  him:  and  he  went 

in  and  sat  down  to  meat. 
38.  And  when  the  Pharisee  saw  it,  he  marvelled 

that  he  had  not  iirst  washed  (baptized)  before 

dinner." 

These  two  passages  are  here  placed  togetlier,  not 
because  they  are  parallel  passages,  for  the  incidents 
they  record  occurred  on  very  diflerent  occasions; 
but  because  the  one  will  serve  in  some  measure  to 
explain  the  other. 

That  the  baptisms  here  spoken  of  were  regarded 
V)y  all  parties  as  ritual  cleansings,  is  evident  from  the 
whole  tenor  of  the  context.  Indeed,  no  writer  on 
either  side,  in  so  far  as  we  know,  has  ever  called  this 
in  question.  The  only  point  about  wliich  there  is 
difference  of  opinion  is,  whether  they  were  immer 
sions  or  not.  And  let  the  reader  notice,  that  they 
4* 


82  THE    DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

ninst  all  have  been  immersions,  in  order  that  we 
may  here  translate  the  word  hajptizo  immerse,  since 
it  is,  in  these  passages,  applied  alike  to  all. 

First.  Tlie  washing  of  hands  is  mentioned  among 
these  BAPTISMS  practised  by  the  Jews. 

That  the  washing  (baptism)  wdiich  the  Pharisee 
expected  from  oar  Lord,  before  dinner,  as  recorded 
in  Luke  xi.  38,  was  simply  a  washing  of  the  hands,  is 
placed  beyond  all  reasonable  question  by  Mark  vii.  3, 
"For  the  Pharisees,  and  all  the  Jews,  except  they 
wash  their  hands  oft,  eat  not." 

1.  The  washing  of  the  hands,  among  the  Jews, 
from  time  immemorial,  has  been  performed  by  pour- 
ing M^ater  upon  them,  and  not  by  dipping  the  hands 
in  water.     See  2  Kings,  iii.  11. 

2.  A  further  proof  that  such  was  the  method 
adopted  in  our  Lord's  day,  where  purification  was 
aimed  at,  we  have  in  the  record  contained  in  John 
ii.  6.  "And  there  were  set  there  six  water  jpots  of 
stone,  after  the  manner  of  the  purifying  of  the  Jews, 
containing  two  or  three  firkins  apiece."  Tlie  word 
here  translated  '■'■  water  jyots"*^  is  the  same  word  used 
to  designate  the  vessel  brought  by  the  w^oman  of 
Samaria  to  Jacob's  well  (see  John  iv.  28),  and  is 
the  w^ord  used  in  the  Septuagint,  where  our  version 
uses  the  word  jpitcher,  in  Gen.  xxiv.  15:  "Behold 
Kebekah  came  out,  with  her  pitcher  upon  her  shoul- 


BAPTIZO    IN   THE   NEW   TESTAMENT.  83 

cler"  and  in  Judges,  vii.  14:  "xlnd  he  put  a  trum- 
]»et  in  every  man's  hand,  with  empty  pitchers,  and 
hunps  within  the  pitchers."  Judging  from  the  use 
to  which  these  water  pots  or  pitchers  were  put,  viz. 
tliat  of  carrying  water  from  the  well,  the  pitcher 
being  placed  "upon  the  shoulder,"  we  have  every 
reason  to  suppose  that  they  were  of  like  form  witli 
those  used  in  the  East  for  the  same  purpose  at  the 
present  day — that  of  broad-mouthed  bottles,  rathei- 
than  jars.  Now,  such  vessels,  whilst  very  well 
adapted  to  washing  the  hands  or  feet  by  pouring,  are 
not  at  all  suited  to  washing  by  dipping  or  immer- 
sion. 

llieir  size,  "holding  two  or  three  firkins  apiece," 
may  seem  to  be  at  variance  wnth  this  idea.  But  it 
must  be  borne  in  mind,  1,  That  on  this  occasion, 
they  were  intended  to  answer  the  demands  for  purifi- 
cation of  the  large  company  collected  at  a  wedding ; 
when,  of  course,  pitchers  of  the  largest  size  would  be 
selected.  And  2,  That  the  word  here  translated 
firkins,  if  we  take  the  only  guide  w^e  have  to  its 
meaning  as  used  in  our  Lord's  day,  viz.  its  use  in 
the  Septuagint  (2  Chrou.  iv.  5),  to  translate  the 
Hebrew  word  lath,  must  be  understood  to  be  a 
measure  much  smaller  than  our  "firkin,"  having  the 
capacity  of  only  about  one  cubic  foot.  And  we  may 
remark  that  this  was  about  the  capacity  of  the  meas- 


84:  THE    DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

lire  to  which  the  English  name  "firkin"  was  ap])liecl, 
at  the  time  our  English  version  of  the  Bible  was 
made.  A  pitcher,  of  the  capacity  of  two  or  three 
cubic  feet,  might  well  be  used  for  pom-ing  water 
upon  the  hands  of  guests  at  a  wedding,  but  would 
utterly  exclude  the  idea  of  the  immersion  of  the  per- 
sons of  those  guests,  as  some  Baptist  writers  have 
imagined  was  customary  among  the  Jews. 

Second.  Pots  and  hrazen  vessels  are  mentioned 
among  the  things  baptized. 

According  to  the  law  of  Moses,  such  things  were 
purified,  in  all  ordinary  instances,  by  sprinkling  them 
with  the  water  of  separation;  and  when  taken  as 
spoils  of  war,  by  passing  through  the  fire,  and  then 
sprinkling  with  the  water  of  separation.  (See  §  9.) 
It  is  true,  that  the  baptisms  here  spoken  of,  are  said 
to  have  been  practised  in  obedience  to  "  the  traditions 
of  the  elders."  But  then,  it  should  be  remarked — 
1,  In  the  expression,  "Except  they  wash  their  hands 
oft,"  we  have  a  clear  intimation  that  the  addition 
made  to  Moses'  law  by  the  elders,  was  in  the  way  of 
a  great  multiplication  of  the  washings,  and  not  in  the 
way  of  a  change  in  the  Mosaic  mode.  And  2,  That 
the  substitution  of  dipping  for  sprinkling  with  the 
water  of  separation,  i.  e.  the  substitution  of  the  less 
for  the  more  solemn  mode  (see  §  8),  is  utterly  at 
variance  with   the   course  of  superstition,  v/hich  is 


BAPTIZO    IN    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT.  85 

always  onward  ;  and  also,  at  variance  witii  all  tlie 
intimations  of  the  text. 

Third.  Tables  {klinoti)  are  also  mentioned  among 
the  things  baptized. 

The  law  of  Moses  is  specific  respecting  the  purifi- 
cation of  household  furniture ;  and  according  to  that 
law,  this  is  to  be  eflected  by  "  sprinkling  with  the 
water  of  separation."  (See  §  9.) 

On  the  one  hand,  we  have  no  I'eason  to  suppose 
tliat  the  law  has  been  departed  from,  in  this  particu- 
lar ;  whilst  on  the  other  hand,  there  is  a  strong 
improbability,  we  might  say,  almost  an  impossibility, 
from  the  size  and  structure  of  these  tables,  that  they 
should  have  been  purified  by  immersion.  If  we 
follow  our  English  version,  we  must  understand  these 
tables  to  have  been  the  tables  at  which  the  Jews  ate 
their  meals.  Or,  if  we  translate  the  word  Minon^  as 
most  modern  scholars  do,  couches^  we  must  understand 
these  couches  to  have  been  those  on  which  the  Jews 
in  our  Lord's  day,  in  common  with  the  Greeks  and 
Romans,  reclined  at  their  meals — such  as  those  used 
by  Christ  and  his  disciples  at  the  last  supper.  These 
couches  were  of  such  a  size  as  to  accommodate  sev- 
eral persons  each  (see  John  xxi.  20),  and  moreover, 
were  generally  made  fast  to  the  walls  of  the  building. 
Is  not  immersion,  in  such  a  case  as  this,  to  the  last 
degree,  improbable  ?     We  need  not  say,  impossible ; 


86  THE   DOCTKINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

because,  as  Dr.  Carson  suggests,  these  tables  or 
couches,  might  have  been  made  to  take  to  pieces,  and 
so  immersed,  piece  by  piece.  And  so,  we  add,  might 
houses  be  made  to  take  to  pieces ;  and  therefore,  if 
we  had  read  in  the  Scriptures,  of  the  baptism  of 
houses,  it  woukl  not,  upon  such  principles,  have 
proved,  that  haptizo  did  not  mean  "  to  dip,  never  sig- 
nifying anything  but  mode." 

§  19.  Eelrews,  IX.  10. 

Yer.  9.  "  Which,"  i.  e.  the  first  tabernacle — "  was  a 
figure  for  the  time  then  present,  in  which  were 
offered  both  gifts  and  sacrifices,  that  could  not 
make  him  that  did  the  service  perfect,  as  per- 
taining to  the  conscience ; 

10.  Which  stood  only  in  meats  and  drinks,  and 
divers  wasJdngs^  (baptisms)  and  carnal  ordi- 
nances, imposed  on  them  until  the  time  of 
reformation." 

A  literal  translation  of  this  passage  is — "Which 
was  a  type  for  the  time  then  present,  in  which  were 
offered  gifts  and  saci'ifices ;  which  cannot,  with 
respect  to  the  conscience,  make  perfect,  the  person 
worshiping  only  with  meats  and  drinks,  and  diverse 
BAPTISMS,  carnal  ordinances,  imposed  until  the  time 
of  reformation." 


BAPTIZO    IN    THE    NEW   TESTAMENT.  87 

This  literal  translation  is  given,  because,  in  our 
English  version,  several  phrases  are  interpolated  in 
the  text  (as  is  acknowledged  by  printing  them  in 
italics) ;  and  these  phrases,  we  think,  render  the  con- 
nection between  the  several  members  of  the  sentence 
obscure,  where  that  connection  is  very  plain  in  the 
original.  And  also,  because  the  kai  "  and,"  before 
"  carnal  ordinances,"  is  now  rejected  from  all  our 
best  editions  of  the  Greek  Testament. 

AVhat  were  these  diverse  baptisms,  of  which  Paul 
here  speaks,  as  "  imposed  until  the  time  of  the  refor- 
mation?" "We  answer — the  purifications  enjoined  in 
the  law  of  Moses. 

To  the  translation  of  the  word  haptismois,  here, 
immersions,  there  are  we  think,  insuperable  objec- 
tions. 

1.  The  baptisms  here  spoken  of,  it  is  evident  from 
the  context,  were  acts  of  personal  cleansing,  •'  Which 
cannot,  with  respect  to  the  conscience,  make  perfect, 
the  person  worshiping  only  with  meats  and  drinks 
and  diverse  baptisms."  Now,  according  to  the  law 
of  Moses,  not  only  were  personal  cleansings,  in  most 
cases,  effected  without  anything  which  could  possibly 
be  construed  into  an  immersion,  but  there  are  good 
scriptural  reasons  for  believing,  that  immersion  of  the 
person  was  never  practised.  (See  §  8  and  10.)  And 
let  it  be  remarked,  we  have  here  nothing  to  do  M'ith 


88  THE    DOCTRINE    OF    BAPTISMS. 

customs  wliich  may  have  been  introduced  under 
authority  of  "  the  traditions  of  the  elders,"  since  these 
baptisms  were  "  imposed  until  the  time  of  reforma- 
tion ;"  and  constituted  the  service  of  the  first  taber- 
nacle, "  a  type  of  good  things  to  come."  An  inspired 
apostle  would  call  nothing,  but  that  "  imposed  "  of 
God,  "  a  type  of  good  things  to  come." 

2.  In  verse  13th,  Paul  gives  a  specification  of  one 
of  these  baptisms — "  For  if  the  blood  of  bulls  and 
goats,  and  the  ashes  of  a  heifer  sprinkling  the  unclean, 
sanctifieth  to  the  purifying  of  the  flesh  :  how  much 
more  shall  the  blood  of  Christ,  who  through  the  eter- 
nal Spirit  ofi"ered  Himself  without  spot  to  God,  purge 
your  conscience  from  dead  works  to  serve  the  living 
God  ?"  The  close  logical  connection,  between  verses 
10  and  13,  requires  us  to  consider  the  latter  verse,  as 
containing  a  specification  ujider  the  former.  Let  the 
reader  turn  to  Heb.  IX.  and  read  from  verse  8  to 
verse  15,  and  he  will  see  how  close  this  connection  is. 

3.  The  baptisms  here  spoken  of,  are  spoken  of  as 
'■'■diverse^''  or  difierent.  If  mode  is  the  only  thing 
essential  to  baptism — as  the  object  of  baptism  was 
always  the  same  under  the  law  of  Moses,  viz.  the 
removal  of  uncleanness — the  application  of  this  epi- 
thet "  diverse,"  to  baptisms  performed,  always  in  the 
same  mode  and  with  the  same  object,  is  inexplicable. 
Take  the  view  for  which  we  contend,  and  the  appli- 


BAPTIZO   IN   THE   NEW   TESTAMENT.  89 

cation  of  the  epithet  "  diverse,"  is  at  once  evident, 
and  most  appropriate.  In  some  instances,  the  bap- 
tism was  a  washing  of  the  hands  and  feet ;  in  others, 
the  offering  of  a  prescribed  sacrifice ;  in  others, 
sprinkling  with  the  ashes  of  a  heifer  ;  and  so  on, 
tlirongh  a  long  catalogue  of  rites  "  imposed  until  the 
time  of  reformation." 


§  20.  Hebrews  VI.  2. 

Yer,  1.  "  Therefore  leaving  the  principles  of  the  doc- 
trine of  Christ,  let  us  go  on  unto  perfection  ; 
not  laving  again  the  foundation  of  repentance 
from  dead  works,  and  of  faith  toward  God, 

2.  Of  the  doctrine  of  baptisms,  and  of  laying  on  of 
hands,  and  of  resurrection  of  the  dead,  and 
of  eternal  judgment." 

ISTear  the  close  of  the  preceding  chapter,  Paul 
writes — "  For  when  for  the  time  ye  ought  to  be 
teachers,  ye  have  need  that  one  teach  yon  again 
which  be  the  first  principles  of  the  orades  of  God.'''' 
(Ileb.  V.  12.)  For  the  expression,  "the  first  princi- 
ples of  the  oracles  of  God,"  he  substitutes,  in  the 
passage  before  us,  the  phrase,  "the  principles  of  the 
doctrine  of  Oiirist."  To  the  mind  of  a  Jew,  the  idea 
naturally  suggested  by  "  the  oracles  of  God,"  would 


90  thp:  docteine  of  baptisms. 

be  that  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures  ;  and  by 
immediately  afterwards  substituting  for  it,  the  phrase, 
"the  principles  of  the  doctrine  of  Christ,"  he  would 
present  to  their  minds,  the  truth  that  the  doctrine  of 
Christ,  and  that  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures, 
were  one  and  tlie  same. 

This  would  be  in  perfect  keeping  with  the  course 
of  thought  and  argument,  which  prevails  throughout 
the  Epistle  to  the  Hebrews.  In  this  epistle,  to  use 
Paul's  own  language — "  unto  the  Jews,  he  becomes 
a  Jew,  that  he  may  gain  the  Jews ;  to  them  that  are 
under  the  law,  as  under  the  law,  that  he  may  gain 
them  that  are  under  the  law  ;"  illustrating,  explaining, 
and  proving  "  the  doctrine  of  Christ,"  from  "  the 
oracles  of  God,"  i.  e.  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures. 
Hence,  when  he  comes  to  specify  "  principles,"  we 
must  understand  him  as  referring  to  them  as  exhib- 
ited in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  as  well  as  in 
the  clearer  light  of  the  New  Dispensation. 

The  reader  will  iind  but  little  difficulty  in  catching 
the  Apostle's  style  of  thought,  if  he  will  turn  to  the 
xi.  chapter,  and  study  the  illustration  there  given  of 
it,  in  the  case  of  "  faith  toward  God."  There  were 
ha/ptisrns  under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation,  so 
much  the  same  in  their  effect  in  visibly  separating 
the  baptized  unto  God's  service,  and  so  much  the 
same  in  their    symbolic    import  with   the  baptism 


BAPTTZO    IN    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT.  91 

iuliiiinistcred  in  Paul's  day,  that  to  the  Jews,  familiar 
with  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  and  rightly  under- 
standhig  those  Scriptures,  "  the  doctrine  of  baptisms," 
might  well  be  reckoned  among  the  "first  principles 
of  tlie  oracles  of  God,"  or  "  the  doctrine  of  Christ." 
It  is  in  this  view  of  the  matter,  as  we  think,  that 
Paul  here  uses  the  word  haj)tisms,  in  the  plural, 
meaning  to  include,  not  only  Christian  baptism,  and 
the  baptism  of  John,  but  also  the  "  diverse  baptisms  " 
of  which  he  speaks  in  chap.  ix.  ver.  10,  as  "  imposed  " 
of  God,  under  a  former  dispcTisation,  By  "  doctrine^'''' 
we  understand — God's  teaching. 

It  is  in  this  view  of  the  Apostle's  meaning,  that 
we  have  selected  the  phrase,  "  the  doctrine  of  bap- 
tisms," as  the  title  of  the  present  treatise. 


92 


THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 


CHAPTER    YI. 

FIGUKATIVE    APPLICATIONS    OF   THE    WORD    "  BAPTIZO." 

§  21.  Christ'3  Baptism  in  his  Death,  Matt.  xx.  22,  2.3  ;  Mark,  x.  38,  39 ;  and  Luke, 
xii.  50.  §  22.  Baptism  "  unto  Moses,"  1  Cor.  x.  2.  §  23.  Baptism  in  the  Ark, 
1  Pet.  iii.  21. 

§  21.   Christ'' s  haptistn  in  his  death. 


Matt.  XX.  20-23. 

V.  20.  "Then  came  to  him  the 
mother  of  Zebedee's  child- 
ren witli  her  sons,  worship- 
ping him. 

21.  And  he  said  unto  her,  What 
wilt  thou?  She  saith  unto  him, 
Grant  that  these  my  two  sons 
may  sit,  the  one  on  thj'  right 
hand,  and  the  other  on  the 
left,  in  thy  kingdom. 

22.  But  Jesus  answered  and  said. 
Ye  know  not  what  ye  ask. 
Are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the 
cup  that  I  shall  drink  of,  and 
to  be  BAPTIZED  with  the  bap- 


Mark,  X.  35-40. 

V.  35  "And  James  and  John,  the 
sons  of  Zebedee,  came  unto 
him,  saying.  Master,  we 
would  that  thou  shouldst  do 
for  us  whatever  we  shall 
desire. 

36.  And  he  saith  unto  them, 
What  would  ye  that  I  should 
do  for  you  ? 

37.  They  say  unto  him.  Grant 
unto-  us  that  we  may  sit,  one 
on  thy  right  hand,  and  the 
other  on  thy  left  hand,  in  thy 
glory. 

38.  But  Jesus  said  unto  them,  Ye 


BAPTIZO    m   THE   NEW    TESTAMENT. 


93 


TiSM  that  I  am  baptizkd 
with?  They  say  unto  him, 
Wc  are  able. 
23.  And  he  saith  unto  them,  Ye 
shall  drink  indeed  of  my  cup, 
and  be  baptized  with  the 
BAPTISM  that  I  am  baptized 
with  :  but  to  sit  on  my  right 
hand,  and  on  my  left,  is  not 
mine  to  give,  but  it  shall  be 
given  to  them  for  whom  it  is 
prepared  of  ray  Father." 


know  not  what  ye  ask:  Can 
yc  drink  of  the  cup  that  I 
drink  of?  and  be  baptized 
with  the  BAPTISM  that  I  am 
baptized  with? 

39.  And  they  say  unto  him.  We 
can.  And  Jesus  said  unto 
them,  Ye  shall  indeed  drink 
of  the  cup  that  I  drink  of; 
and  with  the  baptism  that  I 
am  baptized  withal  shall  ye 
be  baptized  ; 

40.  But,  10  sit  on  my  right  hand 
and  on  my  left  hand,  is  not 
mine  to  give  :  but  it  shall  be 
given  to  them  for  whom  it  is 
prepared. 


Luke,  XII.  50. 

Yer.  49.  "  I  am  come  to  send  fire  on  the  earth,  and 
what  will  I,  if  it  be  already  kindled  ? 

50.  But  I  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with ;  and 
how  am  I  straitened  till  it  be  accom- 
plished." 


The  declaration  of  our  Lord,  made  in  answer  to  the 
request  of  the  two  sons  of  Zebedee,  and  the  one 
recorded  in  Luke  xii.  50,  were  made  on  entirely  dif- 
ferent occasions  ;  yet,  from  the  context,  it  appears  so 


94  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

evident  that  lie  referred  to  his  death,  in  both,  that 
all  commentators  agree  that  it  is  of  this  he  speaks  as 
the  baptism  which  was  before  him.  The  only  point 
on  which  commentators  differ,  is  as  to  the  particular 
view  of  his  death,  in  which  he  calls  it  a  baptism. 

Many  understand  onr  Lord  to  call  his  death  a  bap- 
tism inasmuch  as  it  was  to  be  a  scene  of  overwhelm- 
ing suffering;  and  hence,  cite  tliis  use  of  the  word 
BAPTIZE,  as  instances  of  its  use  in  the  sense  of  over- 
whelm. To  this  interpretation,  we  have  two  objec- 
tions, suggested  by  an  examination  of  the  passages 
themselves. 

1.  Jesus  asks  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  "  Are  ye  able 
to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  shall  drink  of,  and  to  be 
baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized  with?" 
and  in  their  reply,  as  also  in  our  Lord's  subsequent 
rejoinder,  the  same  specifications  are  kept  up,  and 
this  according  to  the  Gospels  both  of  Matthew  and 
Mark.  The  metaphor  our  Lord  uses  in  his  words, 
"  are  ye  able  to  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  shall  drink 
of?"  is  a  standing  metaphor  with  the  sacred  writers 
to  represent  bitter  sufferings,  and  is  thus  used  by 
Jesus  himself  when,  "  sorrowful  unto  death,"  over- 
whelmed with  the  very  sufferings  referred  to  in  the 
passage  under  examination  :  "  O  my  father,  if  it  be 
possible,  let  this  cup  pass  from  me  ;  nevertheless,  not 
as  I  will,  but  as  thou  wilt.     O  my  father,  if  this  cup 


BAPTIZO   IN   THE   NEW   TP:STAMENT.  95 

may  not  pass  away  from  me,  except  I  drink  it,  tliy 
will  be  done."  (Matt.  xxvi.  39,  42.)  There  can  be  no 
doubt,  then,  that  in  the  question,  "  Can  ye  drink  of 
the  cup  that  I  shall  drink  of?"  Christ  refers  directly 
to  the  overwhelming  character  of  his  sufferings  in  his 
death.  If  now  we  understand  him  to  refer  to  his 
death,  in  the  same  aspect  of  it,  in  his  question,  "  Can 
ye  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  that  I  am  baptized 
with  ?"  then  have  the  two  questions  but  one  and  the 
same  meaning,  and  we  can  see  no  reason  why  the 
distinction  between  the  two  questions  is  so  carefully 
preserved,  as  it  is,  throughout  both  the  Gospel  nar- 
ratives. 

2.  In  Luke  xii.  50,  Christ  speaks  of  this  his  bap- 
tism in  his  death,  as  something  for  the  lack  of  which 
he  is  straitened,  cramped  in  the  establishment  of 
his  kingdom,  "  And  how  am  I  straitened  until  it 
be  accomplished."  Now  it  is  not  by  his  death, 
viewed  directly  as  a  scene  of  bitter  suffering,  but 
rather  as  a  scene  of  perfect  obedience  of  Christ,  the 
sinner's  substitute,  on  the  sinner's  behalf,  that  he 
comes  into  the  possession  of  the  powers  and  preroga- 
tives of  the  mediatorial  throne  :  "  And  being  found 
in  fashion  as  a  man,  he  humbled  himself  and  became 
obedient  unto  death,  even  the  death  of  the  cross. 
Wherefore  God  also  hath  highly  exalted  him,  and 
given  him  a  name  which  is  above  every  name ;  that 


96  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

at  the  name  of  Jesus  every  knee  should  bow,  of  tilings 
in  heaven,  and  things  in  earth,  and  things  under  the 
earth ;  and  that  every  tongue  should  confess  that 
Jesns  Christ  is  Lord,  to  the  glory  of  God  the  Father." 
(Phil.  ii.  8-11.) 

Christ's  priesthood  is  a  priesthood  "after  the  order 
of  Melchisedec,"  (Heb.  vi.  20.)  i.  e.,  both  an  eternal 
and  a  royal  priesthood;  one  in  which  the  character 
of  "King  of  righteousness  and  peace"  is  blended 
with  that  of  "Priest  of  the  Most  High  God,"  (See 
Heb.  vii.)  and  by  his  death  was  he  fully  set  apart 
to  this  royal  priesthood:  "For  every  high-priest  is 
ordained  to  offer  gifts  and  sacrifices;  wherefoi-e  it  is 
of  necessity  that  this  man  ('Christ  Jesus')  have 
somewhat  also  to  offer."  "For  Christ  is  not  entered 
into  the  holy  places  made  with  hands,  which  are  the 
figures  of  the  true,  but  into  heaven  itself,  now  to 
appear  in  the  presence  of  God  for  us:  nor  yet,  that 
he  should  offer  himself  often,  as  the  high-priest 
entereth  into  the  holy  place  every  year  with  blood 
of  others ;  for  then  must  he  often  have  suffered 
since  the  foundation  of  the  world:  but  now,  once  in 
the  end  of  the  world,  hath  he  appeared  to  put  away 
sin  by  the  sacrifice  of  himself."  "But  this  man,  after 
he  had  offered  one  sacrifice  for  sins,  for  ever  sat 
down  on  the  right  hand  of  God ;  from  henceforth 
expecting  till  his  enemies  be  made  his  foot-stool." 


BAPTIZO   IN   THE   NEW   TESTAMENT.  97 

(ITeb.  viii.  3,  ix.  2tl:-26,  x.  12,  13.)  In  the  view 
wliicii  Pa:il  liere  gives  iis  of  Christ's  sufferings,  thej 
are  distinctly  presented  as  consecrating  sufferings 
— sufferings  bj  which  he  was  to  be  separated  unto 
God's  service  as  a  royal  priest;  and  his  death,  is  a 
baptism,  in  the  sense  in  which  we  understand  that 
word. 

Understanding  our  Lord  to  speak  of  his  death  as 
a  baptism,  in  this  view  of  it,  we  avoid  both  of  the 
ditficulties  attaching  to  the  other  interpretation;  and 
in  both  instances,  we  give  to  his  words  a  meaning 
which  exactly  suits  the  context. 

1.  In  Matt.  XX.  20-23,  and  Mark  x.  35-40,  it  is 
the  request  of  the  sons  of  Zebedee,  that  "they  may 
sit,  the  one  on  his  right  hand,  and  the  other  on  his 
left,  in  his  kingdom,"  which  gives  rise  to  the  ques- 
tions, "Can  ye  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  shall  drink 
of?  Can  ve  be  baptized  with  tie  baptism  that  I  am 
baptized  with?"  By  drinking  the  cup  of  divine 
wrath,  when  he  took  the  sinner's  law-place,  when 
"the  chastisement  of  our  peace  was  upon  him,"  he 
redeemed  from  death  those  who  were  to  be  the  sub- 
jects of  his  kingdom;  by  his  baptism  in  his  death, 
he  wa3  publicly  set  apart  to  his  royal  priesthood, 
and  "all  power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  was  given 
unto  him,"  that  he  might  rule,  and  defend,  and 
establish  his  kingdom.  How  natural  the  questions 
5 


98  THE   DOCTEINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

then,  to  those  aspiring  to  share  that  kingdom  with 
him — "Can  ye  drink  of  the  cup  that  I  shall  drink 
of?  Can  ye  be  baptized  with  the  baptism  with 
which  I  am  baptized?" 

John  and  James  evidently  had  very  low  and  earthly 
notions  of  the  natm^e  of  the  kingdom  which  Christ  had 
come  to  establish ;  and  they  had,  at  the  same  time, 
a  very  inadequate  idea  of  the  sufferings  by  w^hich 
that  kingdom  was  to  be  purchased  and  put  into  his 
possession.  They  did  not  yet  understand  that  his 
sufferings  must  be  unto  death,  although  he  had 
expressly  informed  them  that  such  was  the  fact. 
Hence  their  reply  to  his  questions,  "We  can." 
Christ  Jesus,  in  characteristic  sympathy  with  their 
weakness,  and  because  they  were  not  yet  able  to 
bear  the  whole  truth,  does  not  correct  their  erro- 
neous notions  (erroneous,  in  that  they  were  inade- 
quate); but  using  the  terms  in  the  sense  in  which 
they  understood  them,  he  replies:  "Ye  shall  indeed 
drink  of  my  cup,  and  be  baptized  with  the  baptism 
that  I  am  baptized  with."  That  the  reader  may 
understand  how  Christ  could  use  such  language  in  the 
sense  which  we  give  it,  let  him  consider  such  passages 
of  Scripture  as  these:  "Unto  him  that  loved  us,  and 
washed  us  from  our  sins  in  his  own  blood,  and  hath 
made  us  Icings  and jpriests  unto  God  and  his  Father; 
to  him  be  glory  and  dominion,  forever  and  ever, 


BAPTIZO   IN   THE   NEW   TESTAMENT.  99 

Amen."  (Rev.  i.  5,  6.)  "And  Jesus  said  unto 
them,  verily,  I  say  unto  you,  that  ye  which  have 
followed  me,  in  the  regeneration  when  the  Son  of 
man  shall  sit  ^?i  the  throne  of  his  glory,  ye  also  shall 
sit  upon  twelve  thrones,  judging  the  twelve  tribes  of 
Israel."    (Matt.  xix.  28.) 

2.  Turning  now  to  Luke  xii.  50,  in  ver.  49  our  Lord 
has  set  forth  the  designs  of  his  mission.  "I  am  come 
to  send  tire  on  the  earth,"  i.  e.  I  have  come  to  establish 
a  kingdom,  which,  in  its  progress,  shall  be  like  a  fire, 
consuming  that  which  is  dross,  and  refining  all  that 
is  gold.  "And  what  will  I,  if  it  be  already  kindled?" 
i.  e.  What  do  I  wish  but  that  it  were  already  kindled. 
"  But  1  have  a  baptism  to  be  baptized  with,"  i.  e.  I 
must  be  consecrated,  separated  unto  God,  as  a  royal 
priest,  ere  this,  my  desii*e,  can  be  fulfilled;  ere  "all 
power  in  heaven  and  in  earth  shall  be  given"  into 
my  hands.  "And  how  am  I  straitened  until  it  be 
accomplished?"  Christ's  three  years  of  public  minis- 
try had  resulted  in  bringing  into  his  kingdom  "one 
hundred  and  twenty  souls."  (Acts  i.  15.)  On  the 
single  day  of  Pentecost,  after  his  consecration,  his 
baptism  in  his  death,  "three  thousand  souls"  were 
added  to  the  number.     (Acts  ii.  41.) 

We  have  remarked  that  commentators  differ  as 
to  the  particular  view  of  his  death,  in  which  Christ 
calls  it  a  baptism.     Most  modern  commentators  un- 


100  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

derstand  him  to  refer  to  it  in  view  of  the  overwhelm- 
ing sufferings  by  which  it  was  to  be  accomplished. 
Not  so  the  earlier  Christian  Fathers,  especially  those 
of  the  Eastern  Church,  who  wrote  while  the  Hellenis- 
tic Greek  remained  a  living  language,  and  who  there- 
fore may  be  presumed  to  have  known  the  meaning 
of  the  word  baptize,  as  used  in  our  Lord's  day. 
These,  without  exception,  take  the  view  of  it  which 
has  just  been  presented  as  the  true  one.  Christ  calls 
his  death  a  baptism,  because  by  that  death  he  was  to 
be  set  apart  to  the  office  of  his  royal  priesthood."' 


§  22.  IsraeVs  haptism  "  unto  Ifoses.^^ 

1.  Corinthians,  x.  1,  2.    "Moreover,  brethren,  I  would 
not  that  ye  should  be  ignorant,  how  that  all 
our  fathers  were  under  the  cloud,  and  all  pass- 
ed through   the  sea;  and  were  all   baptized 
unto  Moses,  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea." 
Paul  here  refers  to  events  accompanying  the  pas- 
sage of  the  Red  Sea,  by  Israel,  in  their  exodus  from 
Egypt.     That  we  may  see  in  what  sense  he  speaks 
of  these  events  as  a  laptis7n,  let  us  turn  to  the  ac- 
count of  them,  given  us  by  Moses. 

*  For  proofs  the  reader  is  referred  to   "Beecher   on  Baptism," 
pp.  61—67. 


BAPIIZO    IN    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT.  101 

1.  Tlxey  were  hapthed  '-''in  the  cloucV  Exod. 
xiv.  19,  20.  '"And  the  pillar  of  cloud  went  from 
before  their  face,  and  stood  behind  them:  and  it 
came  between  the  camp  of  the  Egyptians  and  the 
camp  of  Israel;  and  it  was  a  cloud  and  darkness  to 
them,  but  it  gave  light  by  night  to  these  :  so  that  the 
one  came  not  near  the  other  all  the  night." 

Was  there  any  iinmersion  of  Israel  in  the  cloud  ? 
"  And  the  pillar  of  cloud," — it  was  only  ?^  pillar  j  i.  e. 
a  small  cloud  in  the  form  of  a  pillar — "  went  from 
before  their  face  and  stood  behind  them,  and  it  came 
between  the  camp  of  the  Egyptians  and  the  camp  of 
Israel " — it  was  not  directly  over  either — "  and  it  was 
a  cloud  and  darkness  to  them,  but  it  gave  light  by 
night  to  these  ;  so  that  one  came  not  near  the  other 
all  the  night."  It  continued  between  the  Egyptians 
and  the  Israelites  all  the  night  until  the  sea  was 
})as?ed.  To  imagine  the  immersion  of  Israel  in  this 
cloud,  is  not  simply  to  go  beyond  the  record,  but  is 
to  contradict  that  record. 

That  which  the  cloud  effected,  by  its  peculiar 
movement,  on  this  occasion,  was  a  separation  of  Israel 
unto  God's  service,  and  this  in  union  with  Moses. 
Hence  it  comes  "  between  the  camj)  of  the  Egyptians 
and  ihe  camp  of  Israel ;"  and  whilst  it  "gives  light 
to  the  one,  it  is  cloud  and  darkness  to  the  other ;" 
and  so  continues  until  the  sea  is  passed — "  and  the 


102  TFIE    DOCTRINE    OF    BAPTISMS. 

one  came  not  near  the  other  all  the  night."  This  se- 
paration unto  God's  service,  constituted  Israel's 
baptism  in  the  cloud. 

2.  They  were  haptized  "  in  the  sea.''''  Exod.  xi  v.  27 
-31.  "  And  Moses  stretched  forth  his  hand  over  the 
sea,  and  the  sea  returned  to  his  strength  when  the 
morning  appeared ;  and  the  Egyptians  fled  against 
it;  and  the  Lord  overthrew  the  Egyptians  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea.  And  the  waters  returned  and  cov- 
ered the  chariots,  and  the  horsemen,  and  all  the 
hosts  of  Pharaoh  that  came  into  the  sea  after  them ; 
there  remained  not  so  much  as  one  of  them.  But 
the  children  of  Israel  walked  upon  dry  land  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea ;  and  the  waters  were  a  wall  unto 
them  on  their  right  hand,  and  on  their  left.  Thus  the 
Lord  saved  Israel  that  day  out  of  the  hand  of  the 
Egyptians  ;  and  Israel  saw  the  Egyptians  dead  upon 
the  sea  shore.  And  Israel  saw  that  great  work 
which  the  Lord  did  upon  the  Egyptians  :  and  the 
people  feared  the  Lord,  and  believed  the  Lord,  and 
his  servant  Moses." 

This  last  phrase — "  and  believed  the  Lord  and  his 
servant  Moses,"  probably  suggested  to  Paul  the 
phraseology,  "  baptized  into  or  unto  Moses."  Under- 
standing the  term  haiMzed  to  mean  separated  unto 
God's  service,  how  appropriately  does  Paul  style  the 
passage  of  the  sea  by  Israel,  accompanied  as  it  was 


BAPTIZO    IN   THE   NEW   TESTAMENT.  103 

hj  the  utter  destruction  of  the  Egyptian  hosts, 
tlieir  baptism  in  the  sea.  It  was  that  they  might  be- 
come his  peculiar  people,  separated  from  among  the 
nations,  and  separated  unto  his  service,  that  the  Lord 
interposed  in  the  miraculous  manner  related  by 
Moses,  so  that  Israel  "  walked  upon  dry  land  in  the 
midst  of  the  sea,"  whilst  the  Egyptians  were  over- 
thrown. 

If  we  translate  the  word  haptiso  here,  immersed^ 
we  make  Paul  flatly  contradict  Moses.  Moses  says, 
"  they  walked  upon  dry  land  in  the  midst  of  the  sea, 
and  the  waters  were  a  wall  unto  them,  on  their  right 
liand  and  on  their  left."  Yet,  with  this  record  before 
him,  Dr.  Carson  writes — "  Moses,  Mr.  Hall  tells  us, 
walked  on  dry  ground.  Yes,  and  he  got  a  dry  dip. 
And  could  not  a  person,  literally  covered  with  oil- 
cloth, get  a  dry  immersion  in  water?"  '  To  attempt 
to  evade  the  force  of  plainly  recorded  facts,  by  such 
worse  than  childish  trifling  with  God's  Word,  is 
utterly  unworthy  the  character  of  an  expositor  of 
Scripture ;  and  none  but  a  desperate  cause  could  call 
for  such  defense  as  this. 

There  was  an  immersion  on  this  occasion,  as  Moses 
informs  us  ;  but  not  of  baptized  Israel.  "  And  the 
waters  returned,  and  covered  the  chariots  and  the 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  413. 


104  TIIK    DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

horsemen,  and  all  the  liost  of  Pharaoh,  that  came 
into  the  sea  after  them."  And  as  the  consequence 
of  this  immersion,  Moses  tells  us — "And  Israel  saw 
the  Egyptians  dead  npon  the  sea-shore."  The 
Egyptians  were  the  party  immersed.  Here,  then,  is 
a  case,  in  which,  according  to  the  express  testimony 
of  Scripture,  there  was  both  a  Ijajptism  and  an 
iTnmersion  ',  but  the  party  haj^tised^  was  the  one  not 
{miner sed ;  and  their  haptism  consisted  in  their 
escaj^ing  immersion i  whilst  the  -partj  immersed,  was 
the  one  that  was  not  baptised;  their  immersion 
was  a  terrible  immersion  to  them. 


23.  Bcqjtism,  in  the  Ark. 

"For  Christ  also  hath 
once  suffered  for  sins,  the  just  for  the  unjust, 
that  he  might  bring  us  to  God,  being  put  to 
death  in  the  flesh,  but  quickened  by  the 
Spirit : 

19.  By  which  also  he  went  and  preached  unto  the 

spirits  in  prison : 

20.  Which  sometime  were  disobedient,  when  once 

the  long-suffering  of  God  waited  in  the  days 
of  Koah,  while  the  Ark  was  a  prej)aring, 
wherein  few,  that  is,  eight  souls,  were  saved 
by  water : 


BAPTIZO    IN    THE    NEW    TESTAMENT.  105 

21.  The  like  figure  whereunto,  even  baptism,  doth 

also  now  save  us" — literally,  as  hapiism,  the 
ante-tvpe  ch)es  now  save  ns, — "•  (not  the  put- 
ting away  of  the  filth  of  the  flesh,  but  ths 
answer  of  a  good  conscience  toward  God,) 
by  the  resurrection  of  Jesus  Christ : 

22.  Who  is  gone  into  heaven,  and  is  on  the  right 

hand  of  God ;  angels,  and  authorities,  and 
powers,  being  made  sul)ject  unto  him." 

We  are  clearly  taught  in  Scripture,  that  in  early 
times,  God  did  often  "so  disjDose  the  events  of  His 
providence,  and  appoint  the  external  relations  of  His 
people,  as  to  give  by  means  of  them,  an  exhibition 
of  the  better  things  of  the  Gospel ;"  thus  giving  rise 
to  that  class  of  types,  which,  by  way  of  distinction, 
are  called  historic  types.  In  the  passage  before  us, 
true  Christian  baptism,  is  declared  to  be  an  ante-type 
of  the  salvation  of  Koah,  and  the  few  that  were  with 
him  in  the  ark. 

Between  a  type  and  its  ante-type,  there  must  be  a 
resemblance,  such  that  the  former  will  set  forth,  and 
suggest  the  latter.  In  what  particular  or  particulars, 
was  the  salvation  of  Noah  a  type  of  baptism  ? 

Let  the  reader  notice  particularly.  1.  Peter  does 
not  say  that  the  ark  was  a  type  of  baptism  ;  so  that 
the  shutting  up  of  Noah  in  the  ark,  between  which 
5* 


106  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

and  immersion,  some  persons  have  a  fancy  lively 
enough  to  discover  a  resemblance  ;  might  be  under- 
stood to  be  the  particular  upon  which  the  typical 
relation  rested.  His  declaration  is — that  it  was  the 
salvation  of  the  eight  souls  in  the  ark,  and  hy  the 
water  (our  version  is  literal  here),  of  which  baptism 
is  the  antetype.  2.  He  does  not  say,  that  salvation 
by  baptism,  is  the  antetype  of  the  salvation  of  the 
eight  in  the  ark,  but  that  baptism  itself  is  the  ante- 
type ;  and  this,  that  baptism  which  consists  not  in 
the  mere  "  putting  away  of  the  hlth  of  the  fiesh," 
but  that  which  results  in  "  the  answer  of  a  good  con- 
science toward  God,"  and  saves  through  "  the  re- 
surrection of  Christ  Jesus." 

A  statement  of  the  question  then,  in  exact  accor- 
dance with  the  declaration  of  Peter,  will  be :  In 
what  particular  or  particulars,  was  the  salvation  of 
the  eight  souls  (including  Noah)  in  the  ark,  hy  the 
waters  of  the  flood,  a  type  of  true  Christian  baptism  ? 

Understand  the  word  'baptism  to  mean  immersion, 
and  immersion  only,  and  give  it  that  sense  here,  and 
the  typical  relation  between  the  salvation  of  Noah  in 
the  ark  by  water,  and  this  baptism,  is  inexplicable. 
Tiie  eight  were  tlie  only  ones  of  all  the  inhabitants 
of  the  teeming  earth  that  were  saved,  and  they  were 
not  immersed;  and  were  saved  because  they  were 
not  immersed.     But  understand  the  word  baptism  in 


BAPTIZO    TN    THE   NEW    TKSI'AMENT  107 

the  sense  for  which  we  contend — i.  e.  a  visible  sepa- 
ration unto  God's  service — and  how  simple  the  expo- 
sition of  this  passage. 

Tlie  salvation  here  spoken  of  was  not  a  salvation 
from  the  flood.  The  eight  were  saved  from  the 
flood ;  hut  had  Peter  intended  tliis  salvation,  he 
would  have  called  it  a  salvation  from  the  water, 
and  not  "J?/  the  water."  The  flood  itself  wrought 
out  for  them  a  greater  salvation  than  their  deliver- 
ance from  its  overflowing  waters — a  salvation  similar 
to  that  which  was  wrought  out  for  righteous  Lot  in 
God's  terrible  overthrow  of  the  guilty  cities  of  the 
plain.  To  which  last  Peter  refers,  in  connection 
with  the  salvation  of  Noah,  when  declaring  the  truth 
that,  "  The  Lord  knoweth  how  to  deliver'"  (to  save) 
"  the  godly  out  of  temptations;"  (2  Pet.  ii.  9) — a  sal- 
vation for  them  as  constituting  God's  church,  from 
the  overflowing  flood  of  iniquity  which  threatened  to 
ingulf  them.  This  was  their  salvation  in  the  ark 
Ijij  water,  w^hich  was  a  type  of  the  baptism  which  now 
saves  us. 

True  Christian  baptism — "  not  the  putting  away 
the  filth  of  the  flesh,  bnt  the  answer  of  a  good  con- 
science toward  God" — i.  e.  not  the  external  rite,  bnt 
tlie  spiritual  substance  symbolized  in  that  rite — now 
saves  us  from  the  dangers  and  temptations  of  an 
apostate  world,  and  this  "  by  the  resurrection  of 
Jesns  Christ ;"  he  who  "  once  suflfered,  the  just  for  the 


108  THE   DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

unjust,"  but  now,  in  his  resurrection,  has  "  ascended 
up  on  high,  leading  captivity  captive,"  tliat  he  might 
"give  gifts  unto  men."  (Eph.  iv.  8.) 

When  God  "  opened  the  windows  of  heaven,"  and 
"  broke  up  the  fountains  of  the  great  deep,"  deluging 
the  earth,  he  immersed  the  guilty  multitude,  now 
"  in  prison,"  to  whom  he  had,  by  his  spirit,  preached 
long  in  vain  ;  and  a  terrible  immersion  it  was  to 
them.  By  this  same  deluge  he  haptized  his  little 
church  in  the  ark,  not  one  drop  of  water  touching 
them  ;  thus  visibly  separating  them  unto  his  service. 
And  on  the  cleansed  earth  the  Church  commenced 
her  course  anew. 

Such  is  a  heaven-selected  type  of  baptism  ;  and  we 
will  search  the  history  of  early  times  in  vain  to  find 
one  more  beautiful,  or  more  appropriate,  than  this 
salvation  of  "  the  eight  souls  in  the  ark,  and  hy  the 
water." 


BAPTISM  WITH  THE  HOLY  GHOST  AOT)  FIRE.         109 


CHAPTER    YII. 

BAPTISM   WITH    THE    HOLY    GHOST   AND   WITH   FIRE. 

§  24.  Matt.  iii.  11 ;  Mark,  i.  8  ;  Luke,  iii.  16 ;  John,  i.  26,  33 ;  Acts,  i.  4-S ;  ii.  1-4, 
16-lS,  32,  33  ;  x.  44-4S  ;  xi.  15,  16. 

Matt.,  iii.  11.  "  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto 
repentance  :  but  he  that  cometh  after  me  is 
mightier  than  I,  whose  shoes  I  am  not  wor- 
thy to  bear:  he  shall  baptize  you  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire." 

Mark,  i.  8.  "  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water :  but 
he  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost." 

Luke,  iii.  16.  "  John  answered,  saying  unto  them 
all,  I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water ;  but  one 
mightier  than  I  cometh,  the  latchet  of  whose 
shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  unloose ;  he  shall 
baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with 
fire." 

John,  i.  26.  "  John  answered  them  saying,  I  baptize 
with  water ;  but  there  standeth  one  among 
you,  whom  ye  know  not."  Vs.  33.  "  And  I 
knew  him  not :  but  he  that  sent  me  to  baptize 


110  THK   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

with  water,  tlie  same  said  unto  me,  Upon 
whom  thou  shalt  see  the  Sj)irit  descending 
and  remaining  on  him,  the  same  is  he  which 
BAPTizETH  with  the  Holy  Ghost." 

A-Cts,  i,  4-8.  "  And  being  assembled  together  with 
tliem,  commanded  them  that  they  should 
not  depart  from  Jerusalem,  but  wait  for  the 
promise  of  the  Father,  which,  saith  he,  ye 
have  heard  of  me.  For  John  truly  baptized 
with  water ;  but  ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  not  many  days  hence.  When 
they  therefore  were  come  together,  they  asked 
of  him,  saying,  Lord,  wilt  thou  at  this  time 
restore  again  the  kingdom  to  Israel  ?  And  he 
said  unto  them,  It  is  not  for  you  to  know  tho 
times  or  the  seasons  which  the  Father  hath 
put  in  his  own  jjower.  But  ye  shall  receive 
power,  after  that  the  Holy  Ghost  has  come 
upon  you :  and  ye  shall  be  witnesses  unto  me, 
both  in  Jerusalem,  and  in  all  Judea,  and  in 
Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  parts  of  the 
earth." 

Acts,  ii.  1-4.  "  And  when  the  day  of  Pentecost  was 
fully  come,  they  were  all  with  one  accord  in 
one  place.  And  suddenly  there  came  a  sound 
from  heaven^  as  of  a  rushing  mighty  wind,  and 
it  filled  all  the  hon^e  where  they  were  sitting. 


BAPTISM    WITH    THE    HOLT    GHOST    AND    FIRE.       Ill 

And  tliero  appeared  nnto  them  cloven  tongues 
like  as  of  iire,  and  it  sat  ujjoii  each  of  them. 
And  they  were  all  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost, 
and  began  to  speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the 
Spirit  gave  them  utterance." 

Acts,  ii.  16-18.  "But  this  is  that  which  was  spoken 
by  the  prophet  Joel,  And  it  shall  come  to 
pass  in  the  last  days,  saith  God,  I  will  ])Our 
out  of  my  Spirit  upon  all  flesh :  and  your  sons 
and  your  daughters  shall  prophesy,  and  your 
young  men  shall  see  visions,  and  your  old 
men  shall  dream  dreams :  And  on  my  ser- 
vants and  on  my  hand-maidens  I  willpour  out 
in  those  days  of  my  Spirit ;  and  they  shall 
prophesy." 

Acts,  ii.  32,  33.  "  This  Jesus  hath  God  raised  up, 
whereof  we  all  are  witnesses.  Therefore, 
being  by  the  right  hand  of  God  exalted,  and 
having  received  of  the  Father  the  promise  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  he  hath  shed  forth  this,  which 
ye  now  see  and  hear." 

Acts,  X.  44-^8.  "While  Peter  yet  spake  these 
words,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  them  which 
heard  the  word.  And  they  of  the  circum- 
cision which  believed,  were  astonished,  as 
many  as  came  with  Peter,  because  that  on 
the   Gentiles   also   was  poured  out  the   gift 


112  THE   DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

of  the  Holy  Ghost.  For  they  lieard  them 
epeak  with  tongues  and  magnify  God.  Then 
answered  Peter,  Can  any  man  forbid  water, 
that  these  should  not  he  baptized,  which 
have  received  the  Holy  Ghost  as  M-ell  as  we? 
And  he  commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord." 
Acts,  xi.  15,  16.  "And  as  I  began  to  speak,  the 
Holy  Ghost  fell  on  iliem^  as  on  iis  at  the 
beginning.  Then  remembered  I  the  word 
of  the  Lord,  how  that  he  said,  John  indeed 
baptized  with  water:  but  ye  shall  be  baptized 
with  the  Holy  Ghost." 

"We  have  here,  placed  together,  all  the  passages 
in  the  New  Testament  which  refer  directly  and 
explicitly  to  the  "baptism  with  the  Holy  Gliost  and 
with  fire ;"  that  the  reader,  having  the  whole  record 
before  him,  may  be  able  to  judge  more  correctly 
what  this  baptism  was.  As  a  summary  of  what  is 
hei'C  stated^  we  give  the  following^  viz. 

1,  John,  when  baptizing  in  Jordan,  utters  a  pro- 
phecy, or  an  inspired  exposition  of  a  prophecy,  viz. 
That  one,  mightier  than  he,  was  coming,  who  should 
baptize,  not  with  water  as  he  did,  but  with  "  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  fire."     (Matt.,  iii.  11;  Luke,  iii.  16.) 

2.  Ho  that  was  to   administer    this    better   bap- 


BAPTISM    WITE    THE    HOLY    GHOST    AND    FIRE.       113 

tisni  with  "the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire,"  was  the 
Lord  Jesus.     (John,  i.  33.) 

3.  The  Lord  Jesus,  after  his  resurrection,  meets 
his  disciples  assembled  in  Jerusalem ;  and  repeating 
tlie  promise  given  by  John,  of  a  baptism  with  the 
Holy  Ghost  not  many  days  thereafter,  commands 
them  that  they  dei)art  not  from  Jerusalem  until  they 
had  received  this  baptism.     (Acts,  i.  4,  5.) 

4.  Shortly  after  this,  the  disciples  were  "all  with 
one  accord,  in  one  place"  in  Jerusalem;  when  sud- 
denly, "there  appeared  unto  them  cloven  tongues, 
like  as  of  fire,  and  it  sat  upon  each  of  tliem;  and 
they  were  filled  with  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  began  to 
speak  with  other  tongues,  as  the  Spirit  gave  them 
utterance."     (Acts,  ii.  1-4.) 

5.  This  gift  of  the  Spirit  was  a  gift  immediately 
from  Christ  Jesus.     (Acts,  ii.  32,  33.) 

G.  As  the  consequences  of  this,  we  read:  "And 
the  multitude  came  together  and  were  confounded, 
because  that  every  man  heard  them  speak  in  his 
own  language :  Parthians  and  Medes,  and  Elamites, 
and  the  dwellers  in  Mesopotamia,  and  in  Judea,  and 
in  Cappadocia,  in  Pontus  and  Asia,  Phrygia  and 
J'amphylla,  in  Egypt,  and  in  the  parts  of  Lybia 
about  Gyrene,  and  strangers  of  Rome,  Jews  and 
Proselytes,  Cretes  and  Araljians.  Then  they  were 
])ricked  in  their  hearts,  and  said  unto  Peter  and  the 


114  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

rest  of  the  Apostles,  Men  and  brethren,  what  shall 
we  do?  Then  Peter  said  unto  them.  Repent,  and 
be  BAPTIZED,  every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus 
Christ,  for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive 
the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost.  Then  they  that  gladly 
received  his  word,  were  baptized,  and  the  same  day, 
there  were  added  unto  them  about  three  thousand 
souls.     (Acts,  ii.  6,  9,  10,  37,  38,  41.) 

7.  In  the  event  subsequently  occurring  in  Cor- 
nelius' house,  at  Cesarea,  a  similar  effect  follows,  the 
evident  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost:  "For  they  heard 
them  speak  with  tongues."  (Acts,  10,  45.)  And  this, 
Peter  declares  to  be  a  fulfillment  of  our  Lord's 
words,  "Ye  shall  be  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost.'' 
(Acts,  xi.  16.) 

What  was  this  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
with  fire?  or  rather,  why  was  this  miraculous  gift  of 
the  Holy  Ghost,  in  consequence  of. which  those  who 
received  it  "spake  with  other  tongues,"  called  a 
baptism? 

We  answer :  It  is  called  a  baptism,  not  on  account 
of  anything  in  the  mode  of  bestowment  of  the  Holy 
Ghost,  or  the  visible  symbol  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  but 
because  it  was  a  visible  setting  apart  of  the  Church 
for  God's  service,  in  the  fulfillment  of  the  commission 
a  little  while  before  given  to  her.  "Go  ye,  there- 
fore, and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the 


BAPTISM    WITH    THE    HOLY    GHOST    AND   FIKE,       115 

name  of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy 
Ghost ;  teaching  them  to  observe  all  things  which  I 
have  commanded  you."  (Matt.,  xxviii.  19,  20.) 
"And  he  said  unto  them,  that  repentance  and  remis- 
sion of  sins  should  be  preached  in  his  name  among 
all  nations,  beginning  at  Jerusalem."  Luke,  xxiv. 
47.)  This  idea  is  most  distinctly  set  forth  in  our 
Lord's  words,  when  directing  them  to  remain  in 
Jerusalem  and  await  the  promised  baptism  with  the 
Holy  Ghost.  "But  ye  shall  receive ^02^^;'  after  that 
the  Holy  Ghost  is  come  upon  vou:  and  ye  shall  be 
witnesses  unto  me,  both  in  Jerusalem  and  in  all 
Judea,  and  in  Samaria,  and  unto  the  uttermost  pavti 
of  the  earth."  (Acts,  i.  8.)  And  the  subsequent 
history  is  but  an  illustration  of  these  words.  The  gift 
of  tongues  was  "a  sign''''  (samion),  as  Paul  tells  us, 
"to  them  that  believe  not."  (1  Cor.,  xiv.  22.) 
Christ's  own  miracles  were  signs,  (See  Matt.,  xii.  38 ; 
John,  ii.  18)  i.  e.,  "tokens  and  indicarions  of  the  near 
presence  and  working  of  God;"  and  this  gift  of 
tongues  had  all  the  legitimate  effects  of  a  sign,  as 
related  in  the  second  chapter  of  the  Acts. 

John's  language,  repeated  by  Christ  himself, 
seems  clearly  to  imply  that  this  baptism  was  to  be 
a  nobler  and  truer  baptism  than  that  with  water. 
And  80  it  appears,  in  the  view  which  we  take  of  it. 
This  baptism  was  a  literal,  not  a  figurative  one  as 


116  THE    DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

Dr.  Carson  contends.  In  water-baptism,  such  as 
that  administered  by  John,  there  is,  1.  The  living 
person  baptized,  2.  The  sensible  element  (using 
the  term  element  in  its  theological  sense)  with 
which  the  baptism  is  performed,  i.  e.  water;  and 
3.  The  living  person  administering  the  baptism.  In 
the  case  before  ns,  there  are,  1.  Living  persons  bap- 
tized. 2.  A  sensible  element  with  which  the  bap- 
tism is  performed,  i,  e.  the  cloven  tongues  of  fire. 
Were  this  wanting,  the  baptism  might  be  called  a 
figurative  baptism.  And  3.  A  living  person  admin- 
istering the  baptism,  viz.  the  Lord  Jesus — not 
visible  to  mortal  sense,  it  is  true,  but  perfectly 
visible  to  the  eye  of  faith,  "//e  hath  shed  forth 
this  which  ye  now  see  and  hear."  This  baptism  was 
a  nobler  baptism  than  that  of  John,  because  per- 
formed by  a  nobler  person,  and  for  a  nobler  pur- 
pose. Li  ordinary  baptisms,  we  but  symbolize  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost;  and  whether  or  not  the  sym- 
bol shall  represent  that  which  has  been  truly 
received  into  the  heart,  depends,  not  upon  the  bap- 
tizer,  but  upon  the  faith  of  him  who  receives  the 
baptism.  Here,  the  Lord  Jesus,  himself  the  baptizer^ 
in  his  sovereignty,  bestows  the  gift  along  with  the 
symbol.  Li  this  view  of  the  matter,  we  remark^ 
the  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire, 
administered  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  was  the  truest 


BAPTISM    WITH   THE    HOLT    GHOST   AND    FIKE.       117 

baptism  ever  administered  upon  earth.  In  the  one 
particular  in  which  water-baptism  is  often  notliing 
more  than  a  ligure,  a  shadow  without  a  substance, 
this  baptism  was  reah 

Was  this  baptism  an  immersion  ?  AYill  the  word 
baptizo,  in  this  account  of  tlie  baptism  "  with  tlie 
Holj  Ghost  and  with  fire,"  bear  the  translation  im- 
merse or  dip,  without  doing  violence  to  the  context  ? 

First. — There  was  a  baptism  "  with  fire."  It  is 
distinctly  so  set  forth  bj  John,  as  his  w'ords  are 
reccrded  bv  Matthew  and  Luke,  and  also  in  the  in- 
spired account  of  the  baptism  itself.  This  fire  was  in 
the  form  "  of  cloven  tongues,"  and  "  it  sat  on  them." 
Acts,  i.  3.  Is  not  this  language  as  definite  as  language 
can  be  ?  And  does  it  not  exclude  the  idea  of  immersion  ? 

Second. — ^This  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost  is  the 
only  baptism  recorded  in  the  New  Testament  in 
which  terms  distinctly  modal  are  used  to  designate 
the  application  of  the  baptizing  element.  These 
terms  are — "  came  from  heaven,"  ^''fell  on  them," 
^'■poured  out "  and  "  shed  forth. ''''  And  here  let  the 
reader  remark  : — 

1.  The  use  of  modal  terms  does  not  occur  once 
only,  but  uniformly  throughout  the  whole  account 
given  us  of  this  baptism.  In  the  narrative  of  Luke 
we  have — '■'- came  from  heaven,"  ""fell  c^/i  them," 
was  '■'' alced  forth^''  and  ^^ poured  out  f — in  Joel's  pro- 


118  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

pliecj,  as  quoted  by  Peter,  we  have  '''■poured  out^'' 
and  a  second  time  '''' jpouredout  f — in  the  baptism  at 
the  house  of  Cornelius,  '''fell  on  tliein^''  and  "  was 
jpoured  out  y"  and  in  Peter's  defence  at  Jerusalem, 
''fell  on  them." 

2.  These  modal  terms,  whilst  all  in  harmony  one 
with  the  other,  are  all  utterly  at  variance  with  the 
modal  terms  diy  and  immerse. 

3.  As  already  remarked,  this  is  the  only  instance 
in  which  terms  distinctly  modal  are  used  to  describe 
the  application  of  the  baptizing  element,  in  the  whole 
course  of  the  ISTew  Testament. 

Third. — It  is  not  of  the  Holy  Ghost  in  his  spiritual 
essence,  nor  yet  of  the  spiritual  influences  of  the 
Holy  Ghost,  that  this  language  is  used.  That  which 
"  came  from  heaven,"  which  ''  was  poured  out,"  was 
"shed  forth,"  which  "fell  on  them  "  that  were  bap- 
tized of  the  Holy  Ghost,  was  simply  the  sensible  sym- 
bol of  the  Spirit's  presence  and  influences  ;  it  was 
that  which  stood  in  the  same  relation  to  the  spiritual 
essence  and  influences  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  which  the 
water  of  baptism  now  does  ;  and  hence  Peter's  lan- 
guage— "  he  hath  shed  forth  this  which  ye  now  see 
and  hear. 

Dr.  Carson's  horror  at  what  he  is  pleased  to  repre- 
sent as  the  opinion  of  his  opponents,  is  a  horror  at  the 
creature  of  his  own  imagination.     "  Our  opponents," 


BAPTISM    WITH    THE    HOLY    GHOST    AND    FIEE,       119 

writes  he,  "  understand  llie  baptism  of  tlie  Spirit  to 
be  a  literal  pouring  out  of  Him  who  is  immaterial. 
Baptism,  whatever  be  the  mode,  cannot  represent 
eitlier  the  manner  of  conveying  the  spirit,  or  his 
operations  in  the  soul.  These  things  cannot  be  re- 
presented by  natural  things.  There  is  no  likeness  to 
the  Spirit,  nor  to  the  modes  of  his  operations.  It  is 
blasphemy  to  attempt  a  representation.  It  would  be 
as  easy  to  make  a  likeness  of  God  creating  the  world, 
and  attempt  to  represent,  by  a  picture,  the  Divine 
operations  in  the  formation  of  matter,  as  to  repre- 
sent by  symbols  the  manner  of  the  communication 
of  the  Holy  Spirit,  and  his  operations  on  the  soul.  If 
Christians  were  not  infatuated  with  the  desire  of  es- 
tablishing a  favorite  system,  such  gross  conceptions 
of  God  could  not  have  so  long  escaped  detection."* 

To  this,  we  reply — We  agree  perfectly  with  Dr. 
Carson,  that  it  is  not  the  spiritual  essence  "  of  him 
who  is  immaterial"  which  is  said  to  be  '■'■  poured  out,'''' 
to  ^'-fall  on  them,"  to  be  "  shed  forth;''''  nor  is  it  a  re- 
presentation of  "  the  mode  of  the  Spirit's  operations  " 
which  we  have  in  these  words.  Were  it  either  the  one 
or  the  other,  this  language  would  furnish  no  legitimate 
argument  for  determining  the  meaning  of  the  word 
laptizo  as  used  by  the  Apostles,  or  of  the  Apostolic 
mode  of  baptism.  It  is  just  because  that  of  which 
*  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  105. 


120  THE   DOCTKINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

such  language  is  used,  is  the  audible  and  visible 
symbol  of  the  Spirit's  presence  and  influences — tliat 
which  stands  in  just  the  same  relation  to  the  spiritual 
essence  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  and  to  his  spiritual  influ- 
ences, that  water  does  in  Christian  baptism — that  we 
speak  of  this  baptism  as  a  literal  baptism  ;  and  ap- 
peal to  this  language  as  a  sound  and  legitimate  argu- 
ment, and — in  the  absence  of  all  other  modal  lan- 
guage in  the  Word  of  God — as  an  argument  of  great 
weight,  in  determining  such  a  question  as  that  before 
us. 

To  state  the  case  in  brief : — Here  is  "  a  baptism  with 
the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  Are."  Can  we  reconcile 
the  idea  that  hajytizo  "  has  but  one  signification — it 
always  signifies  to  dij>,  never  expressing  anything 
hut  mode^''  with  the  use  of  such  expressions,  to  repre- 
sent the  application  of  the  baptizing  element,  as — it 
'■'-came  from  heaven^''  it  '-'•sat  on  them,"  it  "was 
jpoured  oxit^''  it  "  was  shed  forth  ^''  it  '"''fell  on  them  ?" 


USE   OF   BAJPTIZO   IN   ITS    SPIKITUAL   SENSE.        121 


CHAPTER    YIII. 

USE  OF  haptizo  in  its  spiritual  sense. 

S  25.  1  Cor.,  xii.  13.    §  26.  Gal.,  iii.  2T.    §  27.  Eph.,  iv.  5.    §  28.  Origin  of  the 
Doctrine  of  Baptismal  Regeneration. 

In  our  definition  of  the  term  hajptizo^  as  used  in  the 
Word  of  God,  in  §  13,  we  remarked,  that  it  was 
sometimes  used  in  a  spiritual  sense  ;  to  mean  regen- 
erate, sanctify.  Of  this  statement,  we  purpose 
giving  proof  in  the  present  chapter. 

As  instances  of  a  similar  use  of  the  analagous 
terms,  circumcise,  cleanse,  purify ;  we  cite :  Deut., 
XXX.  6,  "And  the  Lord  thy  God  will  circumcise 
thine  heart,  and  the  heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love  the 
Lord  thy  God,  with  all  thy  heart,  and  with  all  thy 
soul,  that  thou  mayest  live."  Eph.,  v.  25,  26, 
"  Christ  also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  himself 
for  it,  that  he  might  sanctify  and  cleanse  it  with  the 
washing  of  water  by  the  Word."  Acts,  xv.  9, 
"And  put  no  difference  between  us  and  them, 
purifying  their  hearts  by  faith."  This  use  of  the 
6 


122  THE   DOCTEINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

terms  circumcise,  cleanse,  purify,  renders  it  proba- 
ble, a  priori,  that  baptize  will  be  used  by  the  sacred 
writers  in  a  similar  way. 


§  25.  1  CorintAicms,  XII.  13. 

12.  "  For  as  the  body  is  one,  and  hath  many  mem- 

bers, and  all  the  members  of  that  one  body, 
being  many,  are  one  body  :  so  also  is  Christ. 

13.  For  by  one  Spirit,  are  we  all  baptized  into  one 

body,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles,  whe- 
ther we  be  bond  or  free ;  and  have  been  all 
made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit." 

That  the  word  baptize  is  here  used  in  a  Spiritual 
sense,  appears  from  these  considerations,  viz. 

1.  The  baptism  is  said  to  be  "by  one  Spirit,"  or, 
"by  the  one  Spirit,"  i.  e.  as  all  evangelical  com- 
mentators agree,  by  the  Holy  Spirit  —  the  third 
person  in  the  blessed  Trinity.  Man  administers 
ritual  baptism  with  water ;  Christ  Jesus  baptized 
his  Church  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  with  "  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  fire,"  in  visible  form.  The  Holy 
Spirit,  in  so  far  as  we  can  learn  from  Scripture,  bap- 
tizes with  those  spiritual  graces  which  constitute 
regeneration  alone. 

2.  As  a  con>(.(iik'nce  of  the  baptism  here  spoken 


USE   OF   BAPTIZO   IN   ITS   SPIRITITAL  SENSE.         123 

of,  or  ratlier,  as  an  expression  equivalent  to  "we 
are  all  baptized  into  one  body,"  the  Apostle  adds, 
"  and  have  all  been  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit ;" 
thus  presenting  the  same  idea  which  he  has,  a  little 
before,  dwelt  upon  in  his  words.  "The  cup  of 
blessing  which  we  bless,  is  it  not  the  communion 
of  the  blood  of  Christ?  the  bread  which  we  break, 
is  it  not  the  communion  of  the  body  of  Christ  ?  For 
we  being  many,  are  one  bread  and  one  body." 
(1  Cor.,  X.  16,  IT.)  The  unity  here  spoken  of,  is  evi- 
dently the  unity  of  all  Christians  in  Christ ;  the 
unity  which  is  symbolized  by  their  communion  in  the 
Lord's  supper.  In  other  words :  it  is  a  spiritual 
unity,  the  result  of  a  spiritual  baptism. 

"We  would  paraphrase  the  verse :  "  For  by  the 
one  Holy  Spirit  are  we  all  regenerated  into  one 
church  spiritual,  whether  we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles, 
whether  we  be  bond  or  free  ;  and  as  we  all  drink 
of  one  sacramental  cup,  so  have  we,  in  our  regenera- 
tion, all  been  made  to  drink  into  one  Spirit. 

§  26.  Galatians,  III.  27. 

26.  "  For  ye  are  all  the  children  of  God  by  faith  in 

Christ  Jesus. 

27.  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into 

Christ,  have  put  on  Christ. 


124  THE   DOCTRINE   OF  BAPTISMS. 

28.  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is  neither 

bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  fe- 
male :  for,  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus. 

29.  And  if  ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's 

seed,  and  heirs  according  to  the  promise." 

That  the  baptism  here  spoken  of,  is  a  spiritual, 
and  not  a  ritual,  baptism,  we  infer : 

1.  From  what  is  said  respecting  the  result  of  this 
baptism,  in  the  case  of  those  who  have  received  it, 
viz.  they  "  have  put  on  Christ ; "  a  phrase  uniformly 
used  by  Paul,  to  express  a  spiritual  change.  Eom., 
xiii.  12,  14,  "The  night  is  far  spent,  the  day  is  at 
hand  :  let  us,  therefore,  cast  off  the  works  of  dark- 
ness, and  let  us  put  on  the  armor  of  light.  But  put 
ye  on  the  Lord  Jesus  GJirist^  and  make  no  provision 
for  the  flesh,  to  fulfill  the  lusts  thereof."  Eph.,  iv, 
22-24,  "  That  ye  put  off  concerning  the  former 
conversation,  the  old  man,  which  is  corrupt,  accord- 
ing to  the  deceitful  lusts ;  and  be  renewed  in  the 
spirit  of  your  mind :  and  that  ye  put  on  the  new 
man,  which  after  God  is  created  in  righteousness 
and  true  holiness." 

2.  From  the  context.  Paul's  argument,  which 
runs  tbrough  all  this  portion  of  his  epistle  to  the 
Galatians,  turns  upon  the  distinction  between  "  the 
letter,"  and  "the  spirit,"  and  his  design  is,  to  set 


USE    OF   BAPTIZO    IN    ITS    SPIRITUAL    SENSE.        125 

forth  the  peculiar  excellence  of  the  Christian  dispen- 
sation, as  a  spiritual  dispensation ;  and  thus  to  guard 
the  Galatian  Christians  against  that  legal  spirit  with 
which  they  seemed  "bewitched"  (iii,  1);  and  to 
keep  them  from  making  their  religion  consist  in  the 
"observance  of  days,  and  months,  and  times,  and 
years,"  the  "  beggarly  elements  whereunto  they 
desired  to  be  again  in  bondage,"  (iv.  9, 10).  In  con- 
trast with  such  a  religion.  Paul  sets  before  them  a 
religion  of  faith,  such  as  he  affirms  that  true  religion, 
in  this  world,  has  ever  been.  The  spiritual  sense  of 
baptism,  in  the  passage  under  examination,  alone, 
suits  such  a  context. 

We  would  paraphrase  the  passage:  "For  ye  are 
all  the  children  of  Grod,  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus ; 
for  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  regenerated  into  a 
spiritual  union  with  Christ,  have,  by  that  very  opera- 
tion, cast  off  the  works  of  darkness,  and  put  on 
Clirist  Jesus  ;  and  thus  have  ye  evidently  been  made 
one  with  Christ,  and  through  him,  have  become  the 
seed  of  Abraham,  and  heirs  according  to  the  pro- 
mise, in  the  true  sense  of  that  promise. 

§  27.  Ephesicms,  lY.  5. 

Ver.    3.    "Endeavoring  to  keep  the   imity  of  the 
Spirit  in  the  bond  of  peace. 


126  THE   DOCTRINE    OF   BAPTISMS. 

4.  There  is  one  body,  and  one  Spirit,  even  as  ye  are 

called  in  one  hope  of  your  calling  ; 

5.  One  Lord,  one  faith,  one  baptism; 

6.  One  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and 

through  all,  and  in  you  all." 

We  would  give  to  the  word  baptism  here,  a  spirit- 
ual sense  : 

1.  Because  there  is  an  incongruity,  amounting  almost 
to  impiety,  in  j^lacing  a  mere  external  rite  in  such 
association  as  baptism  is  here  i>laced  in ;  but  give  to 
the  word  its  spiritual  sense,  and  a  beautiful  harmony 
is  seen  in  its  association.  We  can  understand  why 
•regeneration  should  be  associated  with  membership 
in  the  Church  spiritual,  (i.  e.  the  "  one  body,")  the 
Christian's  hope,  the  Holy  Ghost,  Christ  Jesus,  and 
God  the  Father,  as  constituting  "  a  bond  of  peace ;" 
but  not,  why  water-baptism  should. 

2.  Paul  is  here  giving  a  summary  of  Christian  uni- 
ties. If  either  sacrament  is  to  be  introduced  into 
this  summary,  the  Scriptures  would  lead  us  to  expect 
that  it  would  be  the  Lorcfs  Sujp])er  j  one  express 
design  of  which  is,  to  set  forth  the  unity  of  Christians 
by  their  communion  in  "  the  body  and  blood  "  of 
their  common  Lord  (see  1  Cor.  x.  16,  17),  and  not 
the  sacrament  of  Baptism. 

We  would  paraphrase  this  passage  :  "  Endeavoring 
to  keep  the  unity  of  the  Spirit,  in  the  bond  of  peace. 


USE   OF   BAPTIZO    IN    ITS   SPIRITUAL    SENSE.        127 

There  is  one  body,  even  the  church  spiritual,  of  which 
Christ  is  the  head,  and  je  are  all  members ;  (see  1 
Cor.  xii.  27).  and  there  is  one  Holy  Spirit,  by 
whom  ye  are  all  effectually  called,  in  one  hope  of 
your  calling ;  one  Lord,  Jesus  Christ,  one  faith  in 
Him,  by  the  which  ye  are  all  saved,  and  one  regenera- 
tion^ by  the  which  j^e  are  made  one  with  Him ; 
one  God  and  Father  of  all,  who  is  above  all,  and 
through  all,  and  in  you  all." 

Other  instances  of  the  use  of  haptizo,  in  its  spirit- 
ual sense,  will  be  given  in  a  subsequent  part  of  this 
work.  (See  §  §  35,  36.) 


§  28.    Origin  of  the  doctrine  of  hajptisnial 
ration. 


That  the  doctrine  of  baptismal  regeneration,  pre- 
vailed in  the  Christian  Church  at  an  early  day,  and 
that  there  is  much  in  the  phraseology  of  the  early 
Christian  Fathers  which,  at  first  sight,  seems  to  coun- 
tenance this  doctrine,  are  facts  well  known  to  every 
one  who  has  studied  the  history  of  the  Church. 
Many  account  for  this,  by  saying,  that  the  doctrine 
once  adopted,  has  given  rise  to  this  peculiar  phrase- 
ology.    On  the  contrary,  we  believe  the  phraseology 


128  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

has  given  rise  to  tlie  doctrine  ;  and  we  believe  this 
for  two  reasons,  viz  : 

1.  We  find  this  phraseology  in  use  at  a  very  early 
date,  and  long  before  we  have  any  sufficient  evidence 
that  the  doctrine  of  baptismal  regeneration  had  begun 
to  prevail  in  the  Church.  Indeed,  the  Romanists, 
and  Puseyites,  and  Campbellites,  of  our  day,  in 
common  with  the  earlier  advocates  of  baptismal 
regeneration,  derive  their  most  plausible  arguments 
from  the  language  of  Scripture  itself,  by  giving  to 
the  term  baptism,  a  ritual,  when  it  is  evidently  used 
in  a  spiritual  sense  ;  as  in  Gal.,  iii.  27,  "  For  as  many 
of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ,  have  put 
on  Christ." 

2.  Where  a  word,  such  as  laptizo,  is  used  in  two 
senses — one  spiritual,  and  the  other  external  and 
material — the  tendency  of  religious  formalism  is  ever 
to  substitute  the  latter  sense  for  the  former ;  and  this, 
for  the  reason,  that  a  "  manipulated  religion  "  suits 
well  the  pride  of  the  natural  heart.  Abundant  proof 
of  this  remark,  will,  at  once,  suggest  itself  to  every 
student  of  Ecclesiastical  History. 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  REPENTANCE.        129 


CHAPTER    IX. 

ARE  "WATER- BAPTISMS,  IN  THEIR  NATURE,  PURIFICATIONS  ? 

§  29.  "The  Baptism  of  Repentance."  Matt.,  iii.  7,  8,  11 ;  Mark,  1.  4;  Luke,  iii. 
T,  8,  12 ;  Luke,  vii.  29,  30 ;  Matt.,  xxi.  25 ;  Mark,  xi.  30  ;  Acts,  i.  22 ;  Acts,  xiil. 
24;  Acts,  X.  37;  Acts,  xix.  1-7;  Acts,  xviii.  24-26.  §  30.  Christ's  Baptism  by 
John.  Matt.,  iii.  14-17;  Mark,  i.  9-11 ;  Luke,  iii.  21,  22;  John,  i.  22,  35.  §  31. 
Christian  Baptism.    Acts,  ii.  41 ;  Acts,  Tiii.  12-16;  Act,s  xviii.  8. 

§  29.  "  The  Baptism  of  Repentance^"* 

Matt.,  iii.  Y.  "But  when  he  (John)  saw  many 
of  the  Pharisees  and  Sadducees  come  to  his 
BAPTISM,  he  said  nnto  them,  O  generation  of 
vipers,  who  hath  warned  you  to  flee  from  the 
wrath  to  come  ? 

8.  Bring  forth,  therefore,  fruits  meet  for  repentance. 

11.  "I  indeed  baptize  you  with  water  unto  repent- 
ance^ but  he  that  cometh  after  me  is  mightier 
than  I,  whose  shoes  I  am  not  worthy  to  bear ; 
he  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Iloly  Ghost 
and  with  fire." 

Mark  i.  4.  "John  did  baptize  in  the  wildernesSj 
6* 


130  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

and  preach  the  baptism  o^  repentance^  for  the 
remission  of  sins." 

Luke,  iii  .3.  "And  he  (John)  come  into  all  the 
country  about  Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism 
of  repentance,  for  the  remission  of  sins." 

1.  "  Then  said  he  to  the  multitude  that  came  forth  to 
be  baptized  of  him,  O !  generation  of  vipers, 
who  hath  warned  you  to  flee  from  the  wrath 
to  come  ? 

8.  Bring  forth,  therefore,  fruits  worthy  of  repent- 
ance.'''' 

12.  "  Then  came  also  publicans  to  be  baptized." 

Luke,  vii.  29.  "  And  all  the  people  that  heard  him 
(Jesus),  and  the  Publicans,  justified  God, 
being  baptized  with  the  baptism  of  John. 

30.  But  the  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  rejected  the 
counsel  of  God  against  themselves,  being  not 
BAPTIZED  of  him." 

Matt.,  xxi.  25.  "The  baptism  of  John,  whence  was 
it  ?  from  heaven  or  of  men  ?  " 

Mark,  xi.  30;  Luke  xx.  4.  "The  baptism  of  John, 
was  it  from  heaven,  or  of  men  ?  " 

Acts,  i.  22.  "  Beginning  from  the  baptism  of  John, 
unto  that  same  day  that  he  was  taken  up 
from  us,  must  one  be  ordained  to  be  a  witness 
with  us  of  his  resurrection." 

Acts,   xiii.   24.      "When   John  had  first  preached 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  REPENTANCE.        131 

before  his  (Jesus')  coming,  the  baptism  of 
repentance  to  all  the  people  of  Israel." 

Acts,  X.  37.  "  That  word,  I  say,  ye  know,  which 
was  published  throughout  all  Judea,  and  be 
gan  from  Galilee,  after  the  baptism  which 
John  preached." 

Acts,  xix.  1.  "  And  it  came  to  pass,  that  while  Apol- 
los  was  at  Corinth,  Paul  having  passed 
through  tlie  upper  coasts  came  to  Ephesus ; 
and  finding  certain  disciples, 

2.  He  said  unto  them.  Have  je  received  the  Holy 

Ghost  since  ye  believed?  And  they  said 
unto  him,  We  have  not  so  much  as  heard 
whether  there  be  any  Holy  Ghost. 

3.  And  he  said  unto  them,  Unto   what  then  were 

ye  baptized?  And  they  said.  Unto  John's 
baptism. 

4.  Then  said   Paul,  John   verily  baptized  with  the 

BAPTISM  of  repentance,  saying  unto  the  people, 
that  they  should  believe  on  him  which  should 
come  after  him,  that  is,  on  Christ  Jesus. 
6.  When  they   heard   this,  they  were  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus. 

6.  And  when  Paul   had  laid  his  hands  upon  them, 

the  Holy  Ghost  came  on  them;  and  they 
spake  with  tongues  and  prophesied. 

7.  And  all  the  men  were  about  twelve." 

Acts,  xviii.  2-4.  "  And  a  certain  Jew,  named  Apollos» 


132  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

born  at  Alexandria,  an  eloquent  man  and 
mighty  in  the  Scriptures,  came  to  Epliesus. 

25.  This    man  was  instructed  in    the  way   of   the 

Lord  :  and  being  fervent  in  the  spirit,  he  spake 
and  taught  diligently  the  things  of  the  Lord, 
knowing  only  the  baptism  of  John. 

26.  And    he   began    to  speak  boldly  in   the  syna- 

gogue :  whom  when  Aquila  and  Priscilla  had 
heard,  they  took  him  unto  them,  and  ex- 
pounded unto  him  the  way  of  God  more  per- 
fectly." 

We  have  here  placed  together,  all  the  passages 
of  Scripture  in  which  John's  baptism  is  spoken  of  as 
a  BAPTISM  of  repentance.  And  along  with  these,  cer- 
tain other  passages,  calculated  to  throw  light  upon 
the  import  of  that  phase  and  the  true  nature  of 
John's  baptism.  "We  do  not  design,  in  this  place, 
to  inquire  into  the  mode  in  which  John  administer- 
ed his  baptism :  that  subject  properly  belongs  to 
Part  II.  and  is  not  necessarily  involved  in  the  de- 
termination of  the  meaning  of  the  word  haptizo. 
The  only  questions  we  shall  attempt  to  answer  now, 
are :  What  was  the  nature  of  John's  baptism  ?  and 
what  its  import  ? 

In  answer  to  the  first  of  these  questions  we  re- 
mark : — 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  REPENTANCE.        133 

1.  John's  baptism  was  not  Christian  baptism,  nor 
could  it  serve  in  the  phace  of  Christian  baptism.  It 
was  not  Christian  baptism  inasmuch  as  it  was  not 
baptism  in  the  "  name  of  the  Fatlier,  and  of  the  Son, 
and  of  the  Holy  Ghost ;"  and  it  was  not  an  initiatory 
rite  into  any  church.  It  was  not  a  rite  of  initiation 
into  the  Old  Testament  church,  since  those  who  re- 
ceived it,  "  Jerusalem  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the 
region  round  about  Jordan,"  were  already  members 
of  that  church,  in  virtue  of  their  circumcision.  It  was 
not  a  rite  of  initiation  into  the  Christian  Church, 
since  that  church  had  not  begun  to  be  established ; 
and  although  many  thousands  must  have  received 
John's  baptism,  yet  after  our  Lord's  crucifixion,  and 
just  before  the  "  day  of  pentecost,"  we  find  the 
Christian  Church  containing  but  "  about  one  hundred 
and  twenty  "  members.     (Acts,  i.  15.) 

That  John's  baptism  was  not  Christian  baptism  is 
rendered  yet  more  evident,  by  the  fact  that  when  Paul 
finds  certain  persons  at  Ephesus  who  had  received 
John's  baptism,  he  re-baptized  them  in  the  name  of 
Jesus.  The  most  eminent  modern  Baptist  writers 
all  admit  the  correctness  of  the  views  just  expressed. 
Some  of  the  older  Baptist  writers  took  difi'erent 
ground,  and  in  order  to  maintain  their  position,  con- 
tended that  those  said  to  have  been  baptized  by  Paul 
at  Ephesus,  in  Acts,  xix.  5,  were  not  the  persons  said 


134  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

to  have  been  baptized  by  John,  in  v.  3.  On  this, 
Robert  Ilall,  himself  a  BajDtist,  remarks: — "  In  the 
whole  compass  of  theological  controversy  it  would 
be  difficult  to  find  a  stronger  instance  than  this,  of 
the  force  of  prejudice  in  obscuring  a  plain  matter-of- 
fact." 

2.  John's  ministry  and  baptism,  according  to  the 
plain  and  oft-repeated  representations  of  Scripture, 
belonged  to  the  Old  Testament  dispensation;  and 
were  on\ j preparatory  to  the  new.  "  And  he  (John) 
shall  go  before  him  in  the  spirit  and  power  of  Elias, 
to  make  ready  a  people  prepared  for  the  Lord." 
(Luke,  i.  17.  See  also  Matt.,  iii.  3.,  John,  i.  23.)  Tlie 
Old  Testament  dispensation,  with  all  its  ceremonies, 
continued  nntil  the  crucifixion  of  Christ.  Then,  and 
not  till  then,  Christ  appears  "  blotting  out  the  hand- 
writing of  ordinances  that  was  against  us,  which 
was  contrary  to  us,  and  took  it  out  of  the  way,  nail- 
ing it  to  his  cross."     (Col.,  ii.  14.) 

Hence,  Jesus  himself  was  "  circumcised,"  and 
when  the  days  of  his  mother's  purification  were  ac- 
complished, according  to  the  law  of  Moses,  he  was 
brought  to  Jerusalem  and  presented  to  the  Lord, 
(Lnke,  ii.  21,  22.)  Hence,  too,  when  among  his  first 
miracles  he  cleanses  a  leper,  he  gives  the  direction — 
"  go  show  thyself  to  the  priest,  and  ofi'er  for  thy 
cleansing,  according  as   Moses   commanded,   for  a 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  REPENTANCE.        135 

testimony  unto  them."  (Luke  v.  14.)  To  "  the  mul- 
titude, and  to  bis  disciples,"  Christ  gives  the  gen- 
eral direction  : — "  The  Scribes  and  Pharisees  sit  in 
Moses'  seat :  All,  therefore,  whatsover  they  bid  you 
observe,  that  observe  and  do  ;  but  do  not  ye  after 
theii  works."  (Matt.,  xxii.  2,  3.)  One  of  his  last 
public  acts,  before  his  betrayal,  was  to  observe  with 
his  disciples  the  Jewish  feast  of  the  Passover. 
"  iNow  the  first  day  of  the  feast  of  unleavened  bread, 
the  disciples  came  to  Jesus,  saying  unto  him; 
"Where  wilt  thou  that  we  prepare  for  thee  to  eat 
the  passover  ?  And  he  said :  Go  into  the  city,  to 
such  a  man,  and  say  unto  him ;  The  Master  saith,  my 
time  is  at  hand,  I  will  keep  the  jpassover  at  thy  house 
with  my  disciples.  And  the  disciples  did  as  Jesus 
had  appointed  them,  and  they  made  ready  the  pass- 
over.  Now  when  the  even  was  come,  he  sat  down 
with  the  twelve."    (Matt.,  xxvi.  17-20.) 

In  answer  to  the  other  question — What  was  the 
import  of  John's  baptism  ?  we  reply : — It  was  a 
"  baptism  of  or  unto  repentance  ;"  that  is,  a  baptism 
in  which  the  recipient  professed  repentance  {meta 
noia,  a  change  of  mind  or  spirit),  and  thus  placed 
himself  in  the  attitude  of  an  expectant  of  the  coming 
Messiah.  In  other  words,  a  purification,  a  separation 
unto  God's  service,  by  which  "  the  way  of  the  Lord 
was  prepared  and  his  path  made  straight."     Many, 


136  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

doubtless,  received  the  baptism  un worthily ;  and  to 
them  it  was  no  blessing.  Many,  also,  received  it 
worthily,  and  by  their  baptism  were  prepared  for 
the  reception  of  the  Messiah.  "  And  all  the  people 
that  heard  him  (Jesus)  and  the  publicans,  justified 
God,  being  baptized  with  the  baptism  of  John.  But 
the  Pharisees  and  Lawyers  rejected  the  counsel  of 
God  against  themselves,  being  not  baptized  of  him." 
In  this  respect,  John's  baptism  was  not  unlike  the 
purification  which  Israel  underwent  in  pre23aration 
for  the  reception  of  the  Law  at  Sinai.  (See  Exod., 
xix.  10,  11.) 

All  that  has  been  said  respecting  John's  "  baptism 
unto  repentance,"  is  true  also  of  the  baptism  admin- 
istered by  Christ's  disciples,  before  their  Lord's  cru- 
cifixion. The  substance  of  their  preaching  and  that 
of  John  was  the  same.  "  As  ye  go,  preach,  saying, 
the  Icingdom  of  heaven  is  at  hand  f  (Matt.,  x.  7.) 
"Into  whatsoever  city  ye  enter,  heal  the  sick  that 
are  therein,  and  say  unto  them.  The  kingdom  of 
heaven  is  at  hand  f  (Luke  x.  8,  9.)  So  closely 
were  the  baptism  and  the  new  doctrine  connected, 
that  the  one  term  is,  in  Scripture,  employed  for  the 
other.  "The  baptism  of  John  "  (i.  e.,  the  new  doc- 
trine), "was  it  from  heaven,  or  of  men?"  (Matt., 
xxi.  25).  "After  the  baptism"  (i.  e.,  the  doctrine), 
"  which  John  preached ;"  (Acts,  x.  37.) 


Christ's  baptism  by  john.  137 

Jolin's  baptism,  then,  was  in  its  essential  nature, 
siinpl  J  a  PURIFICATION.  And  here,  as  we  shall  after- 
wards have  occasion  to  refer  to  this  matter,  we  ask 
the  reader  to  notice,  that  baptism,  though  it  be 
administered  by  divine  appointment,  be  "from 
heaven,"  is  not  necessarily  an  initiatory  rite  into 
any  church.  It  may  be,  like  the  ordinary  purifica- 
tions, established  by  Moses'  law,  but  a  setting  apart 
of  those  already  in  the  Church,  for  some  special 
purpose  or  service  of  God.  Christian  baptism  is, 
we  believe,  always  an  initiatory  rite;  but  this  is  not 
the  case  with  every  rite  to  which,  in  Scripture,  the 
name  of  baptism  is  given,  as  illustrated  in  the  case 
before  us. 

§  30.  Chrisfs  Baptism  hy  John. 

Matt.,  iii.  Ver.  13.  "Then  cometh  Jesus  from  Gali- 
lee to  Jordan,  unto  John,  to  be  baptized  of 
him. 

14.  But  John  forbade  him,  saying,  I  have  need  to 

be  BAPTIZED  of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me? 

15.  And  Jesus  answering,  said  unto  him,  suffer  it  to 

be  so  now :  for  thus  it  becometh  us  to  fulfill  all 
righteousness. 

16.  Then  he  suffered  him.      And  Jesus,  when  he 

was  BAPTIZED,  went  up  straightway  out  of  the 


138  THE   DOCTKINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

water ;  and  lo,  the  heavens  were  opened 
unto  him,  and  he  saw  the  Spirit  of  God 
descending  like  a  dove,  and  lighting  upon 
him : 

17.  And  lo,  a  voice  from  Heaven,  saying,  This  is 
my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  1  am  well  pleased." 

Mark,  i.  9.  "And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days, 
that  Jesus  came  from  Nazareth  of  Galilee, 
and  was  baptized  of  John,  in  Jordan. 

10.  And  straightway  coming  up  out  of  the  water,  he 

saw  the  heavens  opened,  and  the  Sj^irit,  like 
a  dove,  descending  upon  him. 

11.  And  there  came  a  voice  from  Heaven,  saying. 

Thou  art  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am  well 

pleased." 
Luke,  iii.  21.     "  Now,  when   all   the  j)eople  were 

BAPTIZED,   it  came  to  pass,   that  Jesus  also 

being  baptized,  and  praying,  the  Heaven  was 

opened. 
22.  And    the   Holy   Ghost   descended   in   a   bodily 

shape,  like  a  dove,  upon  him;  and  a  voice 

came  from  Heaven,  which  said.  Thou  art  my 

beloved  Son ;  in  thee  I  am  well  pleased." 
John,  i.  32.     "And  John  bear  record,  saying,  I  saw 

the  Spirit   descending   from   Heaven   like  a 

dove,  and  it  abode  upon  him. 
33.  And  I  knew  him  not:  but  he  that  sent  me  to 


Christ's  baptism  by  john.  139 

BAPTIZE  with  water,  the  same  said  unto  me, 
Upon  whom  thou  shalt  see  the  Spirit  descend- 
ing and  remaining  on  him,  the  same  is  he 
which  BAPTizETii  with  the  Holy  Ghost." 

"What  was  this  baptism  which  Christ  received  at 
the  hands  of  John?  "We  do  not  intend,  here,  to 
inquire  into  the  mode  of  this  baptism;  that  subject 
will  be  examined  in  another  place;  (See  §  38).  But 
what  was  this  baptism  in  its  nature  and  import? 

We  answer:  Certainly  not  a  baptism  such  as  that 
which  John  administered  to  others;  i.  e.,  "a  baptism 
unto  repentance."  Christ  Jesus  was  "holy,  harm- 
less, undefiled,  and  separate  from  sinners,"  and 
hence,  repentance  was,  for  him,  not  only  uncalled 
for,  but  impossible.  On  this  point,  all  commenta- 
tors are  agreed. 

Christ's  baptism  was,  we  think,  a  purification,  in 
the  Old  Testament  sense  of  that  terra  (i.  e.,  a  conse- 
cration), similar  to  that  administered  by  Moses  to 
Aaron  and  his  sons,  when  setting  them  apart  to  the 
priesthood  ;  (see  Lev.,  viii.  5.)  A  visible  setting 
apart  of  him,  for  his  public  ministry  on  earth.  To 
this  conclusion  we  come : 

1.  Because  Christ  received  this  baptism,  not  in 
infancy.     When  eight  days  old,  he  had  been  cir- 


140  THE    DOCTKIlSrE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

cumcised  ;  (see  Luke,  ii.  21.)  As  the  promised  seed 
of  Abraham,  come  to  fulfill  God's  covenant  with 
Abraham,  he  bore  in  his  flesh  the  seal  of  that  cove- 
nant ;  but  this,  his  baptism,  he  received  when  about 
thirty  years  old  ;  (see  Luke,  iii.  23),  and  when  just 
about  to  enter  upon  his  j)ublic  ministry. 

2.  This  view  of  the  matter  ex])lains  John's  objec- 
tion to  baptizing  Christ — "I  have  need  to  be  bap- 
tized of  thee."  Kegarding  this  baptism  as  a  purifi- 
cation, and  understanding  that  Christ,  as  Messiah, 
possessed  a  nobler  and  truer  priesthood  than  his; 
that  he  (John)  stood  to  him  in  no  higher  relation  than 
"  the  friend,  to  the  bridegroom"  himself  (John,  iii.  29) ; 
he  would  naturally  say,  "  I  have  need  to  be  baptized 
of  thee,  and  comest  thou  to  me  ?"  Our  Lord's  reply 
to  John  is,  "  Suffer  it  to  be  so  now,  for  thus  it  becom- 
eth  us  to  fulfill  all  righteousness."  Li  his  wondrous 
humiliation,  "made  under  the  law"  (Gal.,  iv.  4),  he 
complied  with  all  the  requirements  of  that  law.  As 
a  priest,  he  was  set  apart  for  his  priestly  work,  as 
was  Aaron  ;  the  law,  which  he  afterwards  "  nailed  to 
his  cross,"  being  not  yet  "  taken  out  of  the  way." 
(Col.,  ii.  14.) 

3.  Our  Lord's  baptism  by  Jolm  is  immediately 
followed  by  a  more  solemn  baptism  from  heaven, 
when  the  Spirit  was  seen,  "  descending  like  a  dove, 


OHBISTIAN   BAPTISM.  141 

and  remaining  on  him,"  and  "  a  voice  from  heaven" 
dechired,  "  This  is  my  beloved  Son,  in  whom  I  am 
well  pleased." 


§  31.  Christian  Baptism. 

Acts,  ii.  41.  "  Then  they  that  gladly  received  the 
word  were  baptized  :  and  the  same  day  there 
were  added  unto  them  about  three  thousand 
souls." 

Acts,  viii.  12.  "But  when  they  believed  Philip, 
preaching  the  things  concerning  the  kingdom 
of  God,  and  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  they 
were  baptized,  both  men  and  women.  13.  Then 
Simon  himself  believed  also;  and  when  he 
was  BAPTIZED,  he  continued  with  Philip,  and 
wondered,  beholding  the  miracles  and  signs 
which  were  done.  16.  They  were  baptized  in 
the  name  of  the  Lord  Jesus." 

Acts,  xviii.  8.  "  And  Crispus,  the  chief  ruler  of  the 
synagogue,  believed  on  the  Lord  with  all  his 
house  ;  and  many  of  the  Corinthians,  hearing, 
believed,  and  were  baptized." 

Li  a  large  number  of  passages  of  Scripture,  of 
which  the  above-cited  are  a  fair  specimen,  it  is  agreed 


142  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

on  all  hands,  that  the  word  baptize  is  used  simply  to 
designate  the  rite  of  Christian  baptism.  Now  Chris- 
tian baptism  is,  in  its  nature,  a  purification,  or  conse- 
cration of  the  person  baptized ;  a  visible  setting 
apart  of  that  person  to  God's  service.  And  we  refer 
to  it  here,  not  for  the  purpose  of  discussing  its  nature 
— that  will  be  done  hereafter — but  for  the  purpose 
of  remarking  that,  as  all  the  instances,  not  already 
examined,  in  which  the  words  baptize  and  baptism 
occur  in  the  New  Testament,  are  instances  in  which 
they  are  evidently  used  to  signify  Christian  baptism, 
the  Old  Testament  sense  of  purify  must  suit  the 
context. 

We  have  now  completed  our  examination  of  the 
use  of  haptizo  in  the  word  of  God,  in  so  far  as  is 
necessary  to  a  fair  and  proper  determination  of  the 
"translation  question."  No  instance  of  its  use, 
which,  in  the  view  of  the  author,  or  of  any  promi- 
nent Baptist  writer,  could  assist  us  in  arriving  at  a 
correct  determination  of  this  question,  has  been 
omitted.  Let  us  now  state,  in  brief,  the  results  of 
this  examination,  that  we  may  see  what  conclusion 
we  must  come  to. 


SUMMING    UP — CONCLUSION.  143 


SUMMING     UP — CONCLUSION. 

Throwing  out  of  account,  for  reasons  already  given, 
(see  §  IT,)  Isaiali,  xxi.  4,  we  have,  in  the  Septuagint 
version  of  the  Old  and  in  the  Greek  New  Testa- 
ment : 

Fh'st.  A  large  class  of  passages — viz.,  those  in 
which  John's  "  baptism  of  repentance,"  John's  bap- 
tism of  Christ,  and  Christian  baptism,  are  spoken  of, 
in  all  of  which  (1)  baptism  is  unquestionably  a  puri- 
fication, in  the  Old  Testament  sense  of  the  word 
purify  (see  §  12),  and  in  which  (2)  the  baptism  may 
have  been  an  immersion — to  give  the  Baptist  every 
possible  advantage,  we  are  willing  to  say,  in  as  far  as 
the  matter  is  involved  in  "  the  translation  question," 
loas  an  immersion.  This  class  of  passages,  then,  will 
determine  nothing  respecting  the  signification  of 
baptizo i  since,  in  every  one  of  them,  we  may  give 
to  the  word  either  of  the  meanings,  purify  or  im- 
merse, and  meet  the  demands  of  the  context  equally 
well. 

Second.  Tliree  passages — viz.,  those  referring  to 
Christ's  baptism  in  his  death — in  which  we  may  give 
to  haptizo  tlie  sense  of  overwhelm  (but  not  of  dip,  or 
immerse,  as  a  synonym  of  dip),  but  in  which  the 


144:  THE   DOCTRINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

Old  Testament  sense  of  purify  better  meets  the 
demands  of  tlie  context.    (See  §  21.) 

Third.  One  passage — viz.,  Kings,  v.  14 — in  which 
a  religious  washing,  substantially  a  purification,  and 
which  washing  may  have  been  effected  by  "  dipping 
in  Jordan,"  is  called  a  baptism.    (See  §  14.) 

Fourth.  A  passage — viz.,  John,  iii.  25,  26 — in 
which  haptizo  is  used  as  a  synonym  of  katharizo 
(purify).  And  a  second  passage — viz.,  John,  i.  19-25 
— from  which  it  is  evident  that  John  the  Baptist  and 
the  Jews  understood  these  terms  as  synonymous. 
(See  §§5,  6.) 

Fifth.  A  class  of  passages,  in  which  haptizo  is 
used  in  a  spiritual  sense ;  and  this  sense  the  same 
with  the  spiritual  sense,  which  Scripture  use  assigns 
to  the  word  purify.    (See  §§  25,  26,  27.) 

Sixth.  A  class  of  passages — viz.,  Ecc,  xxxiv.  25, 
§  15  ;  Judith,  xii.  T,  §  16  ;  Mach.,  vii.  4,  §  18 ;  Luke, 
xi.  38,  §  18  ;  Heb.,  ix.  10,  §  19  ;  Heb.,  vi.  2,  §  20— 
in  which  haptizo  is  expressly  applied  to  Mosaic  puri- 
fications. 

Seventh.  A  class  of  passages — viz.,  those  record- 
ing and  referring  to  the  "  baptism  with  the  Holy 
Ghost  and  with  fire" — in  which,  to  translate  the 
word  haptizo,  immersed,  is  to  contradict  recorded 
fact,  in  so  far  as  the  "  baj^tism  with  fire "  is  con- 
cerned ;  and  in  the  case  of  the  "  baptism  with  the 


BUMillXG    UP CONCLUSION.  145 

Holy  Ghost ;"  to  apply  to  it  a  modal  term,  utterly  at 
variance  with  the  whole  class  of  modal  terms  used 
in  the  Word  of  God  ;  and  this,  in  the  only  case  in 
which  modal  terms  are  used,  with  respect  to  baptism, 
in  the  whole  Bible.  (See  §  24.)  In  all  this  class  of 
passages  the  word  purify,  in  its  Old  Testament  sense, 
meets  every  demand  of  the  context. 

Eighth.  Two  passages — viz.,  1  Cor.,  x.  2,  §22; 
and  1  Pet.,  iii.  21,  §  23 — in  which  the  translation, 
purify,  i.  e.,  separate  unto  God's  service,  exactly 
accords  with,  whilst  the  translation,  immerse,  flatly 
contradicts,  the  plain  record  of  the  Word  of  God. 

Or  we  may  state  the  case  diflferently.  We  have 
affirmed  that  hajAizo^  when  used  in  the  Word  of  God 
as  a  religious  term,  is  used  in  the  Old  Testament  sense 
of  the  word  purify.  Our  reasons  for  limiting  the 
question  thus  are  given  at  large  in  Chapter  I.  If 
now,  the  Baptist  can  show  one  single  instance  in 
which  haptizo  is  used  in  the  Word  of  God  as  a  reli- 
gious term,  in  which  the  context,  upon  a  fair  and 
full  examination,  forbids  this  sense,  our  position  is 
overthrown.  After  a  careful  examination  of  every 
instance  in  which  haptizo  occurs  in  the  Word  of  God, 
we  do  not  hesitate  to  express  the  opinion,  that  the 
Baptist  will  search,  for  one  such  as  he  requires,  in 
vain. 

On  the  other  hand,  the  Baptist  affirms  that  haptizc 
7 


146  THE   DOCTKINE   OF   BAPTISMS. 

"  has  but  one  signification — it  always  signifies  to  dip, 
never  expressing  anything  but  mode."  If,  now,  we 
can  show  one  single  instance  in  which  the  context, 
upon  a  full  and  fair  examination,  forbids  tliis  sense, 
the  position  of  the  Baptist  is  overthrown.  Instead 
of  one  instance  only,  we  give  the  Baptist  his  choice 
among  the  following  eight : 

1st.  The  baptism  of  Judith.    §  16. 

2d,  The  baptism  after  touching  a  dead  body. 
§15. 

3d.   The  diverse  baptisms  under  Moses'  law.    §19. 

4th.  The  baptism  of  the  tables.    §  18. 

5th.  The  baptism  with  fire.    §  24. 

6th.  The  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost.    §  24. 

Tth.  The  baptism  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea.    §  22. 

8th.  The  baptism  in  the  ark,  by  the  flood.    §  23. 

And  we  here  remark,  for  the  information  of  those 
not  accustomed  to  the  examination  of  such  questions 
as  this,  that  it  is  but  seldom  that  a  meaning  for  a 
word  can  be  established  by  so  many  clear  and  deci- 
sive instances  as  these. 

What,  then,  is  the  conclusion  to  which  we  come? 
Plainly  this — 

1.  If  we  reject  our  English  word  ba])tize — for  bap- 
tize has  now  become  truly  and  properly  an  English 
word — and  attempt  to  translate  the  Greek  hajptiso, 
we  should  translate  it  by  the  word  purify,  and  not 


SUMMING   UP — CONCLUSION.  147 

the  word  immerse.  At  the  same  time,  we  remark, 
that  tlie  word  imrify^  as  used  in  the  Old  Testament, 
is  used  in  a  sense  diiferent  from  that  in  which  it  is 
used  in  common  conversation  and  in  the  English 
classics.  The  English  word  haptize,  in  its  common 
acceptation,  more  nearly  expresses  the  exact  idea  of 
the  Greek  haptho  than  the  English  word  purify 
would.  And  on  this  account,  we  would  greatly  pre- 
fer to  see  our  venerable  English  version  stand  "  as 
of  old." 

2.  To  translate  the  Greek  haptizo^  in  the  Word  of 
God,  by  the  English  words  dijp  or  immerse  j  or,  in 
any  other  language,  by  words  corresponding  to  our 
English  words  dip  or  immerse,  is  to  mis-translate  the 
Word  of  God.  Not  simply  to  make  an  allowable 
variation  in  a  version  of  the  Bible,  but — to  mis-tkans- 

LATE  THE  WoRD  OF  GoD. 


END   OF   PART   I. 


PART     II 


THE    MODE    OF    BAPTISM, 


THE   MODE    OF   BAPTISM 


CHAPTER  I. 

STATE]tfENT   OF   THE   QUESTION.' 

§  32.  Statement  of  the  question— §  83.  Arguments  relied  on  to  prove  that  immer- 
sion is  essential  to  valid  baptism. 

§  32.  Statement  of  the  Question. 

Whilst  tlie  Baptist  and  non-Baptist  cliurches  agree, 
that  in  Christian  baptism  there  must  be  an  applica- 
tion of  water  to  the  person  of  the  baptized,  and  that 
this  application  must  be  made  "  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  IIolj  Ghost," 
thej  differ  as  to  the  mode  in  which  tliis  water  is  to  be 
applied. 

The  Baptist  holds  that  there  can  be  no  valid  bap- 
tism without  the  immersion  of  the  person  baptized. 

The  non-Baptist  churches,  whilst   admitting  the 


152  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

validity  of  baptism  by  immersion,  hold  that  the  appli- 
cation of  water  bj  sprinkling  or  jpouring  constitutes 
a  baptism  equally  valid ;  and  that  to  require  immer- 
sion, in  order  to  admission  to  the  Church  of  God,  is 
to  infringe  upon  that  Christian  "  liberty  wherewith 
Christ  hath  made  his  people  free,"  and  to  "  teach  for 
doctrine  the  commandments  of  men." 

And  here,  we  would  ask  the  reader  to  notice  par- 
ticularly, the  real  points  of  difference  between  the 
parties  to  this  controversy. 

1.  It  is  not  as  to  the  validity  of  a  baptism  by  im- 
mersion.    On  this  point,  both  parties  are  agreed. 

2.  The  difference  is  simply  and  solely  as  to  the 
validity  of  baptism  by  sjprinMing  or  pouring. 

The  question,  then,  is  fairly  stated  thus :  Is  immer- 
sion essential  to  the  validity  of  Christian  baptism  ? 


§  33.  Statement  of  the  arguments  relied  on. 

The  arguments  by  which  the  Baptist  seeks  to 
establish  his  position  are  derived — 

1,  From  the  meaning  of  the  word  haptizo.  Affirm- 
ing that  it  is  a  specific  term  ;  that  it  has  but  one  sig- 
nification ;  it  always  signifies  to  dip,  never  expressing 
anything  but  mode.     He  argues,  that  to  speak  of 


AB0UMENT8   RELIED   ON.  15S^ 

baptizing  by  sprinkling  or  pouring,  is  a  contradiction 
in  terms,  and  must  so  have  presented  itself  to  the 
mind  of  every  one  to  whom  the  command,  "  repent, 
and  be  baptized,"  was  addressed  in  the  days  of  Christ 
and  his  apostles ;  just  as  we,  at  the  present  day,  would 
see  a  contradiction  in  terms  in  speaking  of  immersing 
by  sprinkling  or  pouring. 

2.  From  the  emblematic  import  of  baptism :  the 
Baptist  affirming  that  in  the  ordinance  we  have  an 
emblem,  not  of  spiritual  purification  alone,  but  also 
of  the  spiritual  death,  burial,  and  resurrection  of  the 
person  baptized.  On  these  points,  Dr.  Carson  writes  : 
"The  immersion  of  the  whole  body  is  essential  to 
baptism,  not  because  nothing  but  immersion  can  be 
an  emblem  of  purification,  but  because  immersion  is 
the  thing  commanded,"  This  he  affirms  on  the 
ground  that  haptizo  "  always  signifies  to  dip,  never 
expressing  anything  but  mode."  "And  because  that, 
without  immersion,  there  is  no  emblem  of  death, 
burial,  and  resurrection,  which  are  in  the  emblem 
(equally  with  purification.  Had  no  emblem  but  that 
of  purification  been  intended  in  this  ordinance,  we 
do  not  say  that  immersion  would  be  either  essential 
or  preferable."' 

3.  From  the  practice  of  Christ  and  his  apostles, 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  381. 


154  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

as  that  practice  is  to  be  gathered  from  the  inspired 
narratives  of  baptisms  administered  in  tlieir  day. 

The  first  of  these  arguments  we  have  ah-eady  ex- 
amined in  Part  I. ;  the  other  two  we  purpose  exam- 
ining in  Part  II. ,  in  the  order  in  which  they  have 
been  mentioned. 


SYMBOLIC   IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM.  155 


CHAPTEK    II. 

SY3IB0LIC   DtlPOET    OF    BAPTISM. 

§  84,  Rom.  vi.  8,  4;  Col.  ii.  12.    §  35,  Rom.  vi.  3,  4.    §  36,   Col.  li.  12. 
§  3T,  1.  Cor.  XV.  29. 

The  passages  of  Scripture  upon  which  Baptist 
writers  rely,  as  proof  that  in  the  rite  of  Christian 
baptism  there  was  intended  to  be  incorporated  an 
"  emblem  of  death,  burial  and  resurrection,"  are — 
Romans,  vi.  3,  4;  Colossians,  ii.  12;  and  1  Corin- 
thians, XV.  29. 

§  34.     Rom.  VI.  3.  4 ;  Col.  II.  12. 

Romans  vi.  Yer.  1.  "What  shall  we  say  then? 
Shall  we  continue  in  sin,  that  grace  may 
abound  ? 

2.  God  forbid;  how  shall  we,  that  are  dead  to  sin, 

live  any  longer  therein? 

3.  Know  ye  not  that  so  many  of  us  as  were  bapt'zf.) 

into  Christ,  were  baptized  into  his  death  ? 


156  THE   MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

4.  Therefore,  we  are  buried  with  him  bj  baptism  into 

death,  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from 
the  dead  by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so 
we  also  should  walk  in  newness  of  life. 

5.  For  if  we  have  been  planted  together  in  the  like- 

ness of  his  death,  we  shall  be  also  in  the  like- 
ness of  his  resurrection. 

6.  Knowing  this,  that  our  old  man  is  crucified  with 

him,  that  the  body  of  sin  might  be  destroyed, 
that  henceforth  we  should  not  serve  sin." 
Colossians,  ii.  Yer.  10.     "And  ye  are  complete  in 
him  (i.  e,  Christ),  which  is  the  head  of  all  prin- 
cipality and  power ; 

11.  In  whom  also  ye  are  circumcised  with  the  circum- 

cision made  without  hands,  in  putting  off  the 
body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh,  by  the  circumci- 
sion of  Christ: 

12.  Buried  with  him  in  baptism,  wherein  also  ye  are 

risen  with  him  through  the  faith  of  the  opera- 
tion of  God,  who  hath  raised  him  from  the 
dead." 

In  the  course  of  his  comments  on  these  two  pas- 
sages. Dr.  Carson  remarks :  "  I  value  the  evidence  of 
these  passages  so  highly  that  I  look  on  them  as  per- 
fectly decisive.  They  contain  God's  own  explanation 
of  his  own  ordinance.     And  in  this  I  call  upon  my 


SYMBOLIC    IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM.  157 

unlearned  brethren  to  admire  the  Divine  wisdom. 
Tliey  do  not  understand  the  original,  and  the  adop- 
tion of  tlie  words  haptize  and  laptism  can  teach 
tliem  nothing.  Translators,  by  adopting  the  Greek 
words,  have  contrived  to  hide  the  meaning  from  the 
unlearned.  The  Spirit  of  God  has,  by  this  explana- 
tion, enabled  them  to  judge  for  themselves  in  this 
matter.  While  the  learned  are  lighting  about  laptizo 
and  certain  Greek  prepositions,  let  the  unlearned  turn 
to  Rom.  vi.  4,  and  Col.  ii.  12." '  In  attaching  so 
great  importance  to  these  passages,  Dr.  Carson  does 
not  differ  from  other  Baptist  writers ;  and  these 
passages  are  those  from  which  the  necessity  of  im- 
mersion is  most  frequently  argued  from  the  pulpit. 
On  this  account  we  shall  examine  them  with  greater 
care,  and  at  greater  length,  than  would  otherwise 
seem  necessary. 

We  have  placed  the  two  together  at  the  head  of 
this  section,  because  the  Baptist  argument  from  both 
is  substantially  the  same.  After  examining  this  ar- 
gument, we  shall  make  such  comments  upon  the 
passages,  separately,  as  will  serve  to  set  before  the 
reader  what  we  consider  the  true  import  of  them. 

The  Baptist  argument  for  immersion,  from  Rom. 
vi.  3,  •!,  and  Col.  ii.  12,  may  be  stated  in  brief, 
thus: — 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  pp.  144,  145. 


158  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

1.  The  baptism  here  spoken  of  is  ritnal  baptism, 
or  baptism  with  water. 

2.  Paul  treats  it  as  a  universally  acknowledged 
fact,  and  therefore,  one  from  which  he  may  reason  in 
settling  a  controverted  point  of  doctrine,  that  in  the 
rite  of  bajDtism  there  is  symbolized  the  spiritual 
death,  burial  and  resurrection  of  the  believer.' 

3.  Hence  the  inference  is  drawn,  that  as  immer- 
sion is  the  mode  in  which  baptism  with  water  most 
aptly  represents  a  death,  burial  and  resurrection, 
these  passages  teach  us  that  immersion  is  the  divine- 
ly-appointed mode  of  baptism. 

^  Baptist  writers,  when  treating  of  the  death,  burial  and  resurrection 
symbolized  mi  baptism,  often  make  use  of  language  so  equivocal  as  to 
leave  the  reader  in  doubt  whether  they  mean  a  spiritual  death,  burial 
and  resurrection,  or  the  death,  burial  and  resurrection  of  the  body  of 
the  behever.  In  Rom.  vi.  3,  4,  the  death  and  resurrection  are  un-  ^ 
doubtedly  spiritual ;  since  the  death  is  expressly  declared  to  be,  a 
death  '■'■unto  sin,''''  that  we  "should  live  no  longer  therein,"  and  the 
resurrection,  a  resurrection  "  to  walk  in  newness  of  life  ;"  not  here- 
after, in  heaven,  but  here,  upon  earth.  So  Dr.  Carson  regards  it. 
Hence  he  writes — "  Here  we  see  that  baptism  is  an  emblem  also  of 
the  new  life  of  the  Christian.  He  dies  with  Christ  to  sin,  he  rises 
with  him  to  a  new  life  of  holiness^  (Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  143.) 
To  confound  the  two — i.  e.  natural  and  spiritual  death,  burial  and  re- 
surrections, is  to  be  imposed  upon  by  the  mere  sound  of  words,  to  fall 
into  the  same  sort  of  error  which  Nicodemus  did  with  respect  to 
the  phrase  "  Ye  must  be  born  again,"  when  he  asked  "  Can  a  man 
enter  a  second  time  into  his  mother's  womb,  and  be  born  ?" 


SYMBOLIC    mPOET   OF   BAPTISM.  159 

Admitting,  for  the  present,  that  we  may  give  these 
passages  a  more  thorough  examination,  that  the 
baptism  here  spoken  of  is  ritual  baptism,  as  the  Bap- 
tist contends ;  we  remark — 

First.  It  is  the  common  faith  of  all  evangelical 
Christian  churches,  that  water-baptism  symbolizes 
regeneration^  or  that  spiritual  change  of  which  our 
Lord  speaks,  when  he  says  to  Nicodemus,  "  Except 
a  man  be  horn  again,  he  cannot  see  the  kingdom  of 
God."  (John,  iii.  3.)  Thus  the  Presbyterian  Con- 
fession of  Faith  teaches,  that  in  baptism  there  is 
symbolized,  not  only  "  the  remission  of  sins,"  but 
also  our  "  ingrafting  into  Christ,"  and  "  our  giving 
up  unto  God,  through  Jesus  Christ,  to  walk  in  new- 
ness of  life,"  (chap,  xxviii.) ;  i.  e.,  there  is  symbolized 
regeneration,  in  the  full  Scriptural  sense  of  that 
term. 

What,  now,  we  ask,  is  the  meaning  of  the  phrase, 
"  the  spiritual  death,  burial,  and  resurrection  of  the 
believer,"  his  "  death  unto  sin,"  his  resurrection  to 
"  walk  in  newness  of  life  ?"  Nothing  more  nor  less 
than  simply  regeneration.  "Wlien,  then,  the  Baptist 
expositor  of  these  passages  says,  Water-baptism  has 
a  two-fold  import ;  viz.,  1st,  symbolizing  regenera- 
tion in  the  washing  with  water ;  and  2d,  symboliz- 
ing^ the  spiritual  death,  burial,  and  resurrection  of 
the  believer,  in  the  immersion  of  the  person  baptized, 


160  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

be  is  imposed  upon  by  tbe  mere  sound  of  words. 
His  two  tbings  are  but  one  and  tbe  same  tbing. 

Second.  Wbere  spiritual  tbinga-ana  to  be  symbol- 
ized by  material  tbings,  tbe  cboice  of  a  symbol  cannot 
be  based  upon  any  proj^er  similitude  between  tbe 
two ;  for,  as  Dr.  Carson  remarks,  wben  discussing  tbe 
"  baptism  witb  tbe  Holy  Gbost,"  "  Tbere  is  no  like- 
ness to  tbe  Spirit,  nor  to  the  mode  of  his  ojperations. 
It  is  blaspbemy  to  attempt  a  representation.  It  would 
be  as  easy  to  make  a  likeness  of  God  creating  tbe 
world,  and  attempt  to  represent  by  a  picture  tbe 
Divine  operations  in  tlie  foi'mation  of  matter,  as  to 
represent  by  symbol  tbe  manner  of  tbe  communica- 
tion of  tbe  Holy  Spirit,  and  his  operations  on  the 
souV"^  In  all  sucb  cases,  tbe  cboice  of  a  symbol 
must  be  based  upon  some  one  of  tbe  several  analo- 
gies wbicb  exist  between  tbe  material  symbol  and  tbe 
immaterial  tbing  symbolized. 

In  tbe  case  under  consideration,  several  of  tbese 
analogies  bave  been  incorporated  in  tbe  figurative 
language  of  Scripture.  Tbus,  tbe  sacred  writers 
speak  of  regeneration  as  tbe  substitution  of  a  beart  of 
flesb  for  a  heart  of  stone:  "I  will  take  away  the 
stony  heart  out  of  your  flesh,  and  I  will  give  you  a 
beart  of  flesh."   (Ezek.,  xxxvi.  26.)     As  tbe  taking 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  105. 


SYMBOLIC    IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM.  161 

of  a  stone  out  of  the  earth  and  building  it  into  a 
habitation  :  "  In  whom  also  ye  are  builded  together, 
for  a  habitation  of  God  through  the  Spirit."  (Eph. 
ii,  22.)  As  the  ingrafting  of  a  limb  into  a  body  : 
"  I  am  the  vine,  ye  are  the  branches  ;  he  that  abideth 
in  me  and  I  in  him,  the  same  bringeth  forth  much 
fruit."  (John,  xv.  5.)  As  the  putting  off  of  filthy 
garments  and  the  putting  on  of  clean :  "  Put  off, 
concerning  the  former  conversation,  the  old  man, 
and  put  on  the  new  man,  which  after  God  is  created 
in  righteousness  and  true  holiness."  (Eph.,  iv,  22,  24.) 
As  a  death,  burial,  and  resurrection  with  Christ,  in 
the  passages  under  examination.  As  the  application 
of  a  cleansing  element  to  the  body :  "  Then  will  I 
sprinkle  clean  water  upon  you,  and  ye  shall  be  clean." 
(Ezek.,  xxxvi.  25.)  These,  and  many  more  such 
analogies,  are  found  incorporated  in  the  figurative 
language  of  Scripture. 

The  choice  of  a  symbol  for  regeneration  may,  in 
the  first  instance,  be  based  upon  any  one  of  these 
analogies ;  and  when  that  choice  is  once  made,  the 
symbol  will  represent  the  thing  symbolized,  no  mat- 
ter by  what  figui'ative  language  you  may  choose  to 
designate  it.  To  introduce  a  new  symbol,  or  to 
incorporate  a  new  element  in  the  symbol,  for  each 
one  of  the  analogies  found  embodied  in  the  figurative 
language    of  Scripture,  on    the   ground   tliat  ihe^e 


162  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

figures,  although  equivalent,  are  not  one  and  the 
same — as  by  making  the  application  of  the  purifying 
element,  water,  emblematic  of  regeneration,  and 
immersion  in  water  emblematic  of  spiritual  death, 
bm-ial,  and  resurrection,  which  is  neither  more  nor 
less  than  regeneration — is  like  insisting  upon  the 
payment  of  a  debt,  once  paid  in  gold,  a  second  time 
in  silver  ;  because,  whilst  gold  and  silver  are  equiva- 
lent in  value,  they  are  not  one  and  the  same  sub- 
stance. 

God  has  chosen  to  base  his  selection  of  a  symbol 
for  regeneration,  upon  the  purifying  efiect  of  water 
applied  to  the  body,  an  analogy  familiar  to  the  minds 
of  those  among  whom  Christian  baptism  was  first 
administered,  through  their  observance  of  Moses' 
law ;  and  now,  the  choice  being  made,  the  applica- 
tion of  water  to  the  body  symbolizes  regeneration, 
by  whatever  figurative  language  we  may  choose  to 
designate  it. 

Is,   now,  the  question  asked.  Does  not  baptism 

symbolize  the  spiritual  death,  burial,  and  resurrection 

of  the  believer?  we  answer.  Yes.     And  for  the  same 

I   reason,  would  we  answer  the  questions.  Does  not 

I   baptism  symbolize  the  putting  ofi^  of  the  old  man^' 

I   and  the  putting  on  of  the  new?    Yes.     Does  not 

baptism  symbolize  the  ingrafting  of  a  believer  into 

Yes.     Does  not 


SYMBOLIC   IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM.  163 

baptism  symbolize  the  taking  away  of  the  stony 
heart  out  of  our  flesh,  and  the  giving  instead  thereof 
a  heart  of  flesh  ?  Yes.  Does  not  baptism  symbolize 
the  cleansing  of  the  soul  from  the  gnilt  and  pollution 
of  sin  ?  Yes.  Baptism  symbolizes  them  one  and  all ; 
and  this  for  the  simple  and  suflicient  reason,  that  they 
are  all  one  and  the  same  thing — viz.  the  spiritual 
change  which  Christ  calls  Tegeiieration^  a  heing  horn 
again. 

Is  the  further  question  asked,  Do  not  the  Scrip- 
tures teach  that  the  analogy  between  "  death, 
burial,  and  resurrection"  and  regeneration  was  in- 
tended to  be  incorporated  in  the  symbol,  baptism,  in 
saying,  "  We  are  buried  with  him  by  baptism  into 
death,  that  like  as  Christ  was  raised  up  from  the  dead 
by  the  glory  of  the  Father,  even  so  we  also  should 
walk  in  newness  of  life  ?"  we  answer.  No  more  than 
they  teach  that  the  analogy  between  the  ingrafting 
of  a  branch  into  a  vine  and  regeneration  was  intended 
to  be  incorporated  in  it,  in  saying,  "  For  by  one 
Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one  body."  (1  Cor. 
xii.  13.)  Or,  that  the  analogy  between  the  putting 
off  of  filthy  garments,  and  the  putting  on  of  clean, 
and  regeneration,  was  intended  to  be  incorporated  in 
it,  in  saying,  "  For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been 
BAPTIZED  into  Christ  have  put  on  Christ."  (Gal. 
iii.  27.) 


164  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

In  fact,  one  of  the  earliest  departures  from  the 
simplicity  of  this  rite,  as  administered  by  the  Apos- 
tles, was  the. removal  of  the  old  garments  from  the 
person  to  be  baptized,  and  the  clothing  of  him  in  a 
clean  white  robe  after  baptism.  Gah  iii.  27,  was 
pleaded  as  authority  for  this  practice,  and  the  argu- 
ment from  the  sacred  text  was  of  just  the  same  kind 
as  that  by  which  the  Baptist  proves  immersion  from 
Rom,  vi.  3,  4 ;   Col.  ii.  12,  at  the  present  day. 

Admitting,  then,  that  the  baptism  spoken  of  in  the 
passages  under  examination  is  ritual  baptism,  they 
do  not  teach  immersion ;  and  every  reason  for  sup- 
posing that  they  do  is  based  upon  a  misapprehension 
on  one  or  other  of  two  points — viz.  1.  That  the  spi- 
ritual death,  burial,  and  resurrection  of  the  believer 
is  something  different  from  his  regeneration ;  whereas, 
they  are  but  one  and  the  same  thing.  Or,  2,  That  a 
material  symbol  of  a  spiritual  thing,  must  embody, 
as  distinct  elements,  all  the  analogies  existing  be- 
tween that  material  symbol  and  the  immatei"ial  thing 
symbolized. 

Thus  far,  we  have  taken  it  for  granted  that  the 
baptism  here  spoken  of  is  ritual  baptism,  or  baptism 
with  water.  "We  now  raise  a  question  on  this  point ; 
and  express  our  belief  that  Paul  here  uses  the  term 
baptism  in  its  spiritual  sense,  i.  e.  in  the  sense  of 
regeneration ;  and,  of  course,  that  there  is  no  refer- 


SYMBOLIC   IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM.  165 

ence  to  the  mode  of  baptism  intended.  From  this 
point,  we  must  conduct  our  examination  of  Rom.  vi. 
3,  4,  and  Coh,  ii.  12,  separately. 


§  35.  Romans,  YI.  3,  4.  ^  .        /^^^ 

In   this  passage,   the  spiritual  sense  of  baptism         / 


seems  to  be  demanded,  both  by  the  peculiar  form  of 
the  expression  Paul  uses,  and  by  the  course  of  his 
argument.  ^^-'r-'V*"-^    /"'''■  -"  ^  ) 

First.     Paul  here  uses  the  peculiar  form  of  ex- 
pression "  baptized  into  Christ,"  and  not  the  more  / ' 
common  form  "  baptized  in  the  name  of  Christ."   Let 
the  reader  attempt  to  picture  to- his  mind,  as  a  rite  to     J    '  ^«  I  # 
be  administered,  a  baptism  in  the  name  of  Christ,  ^^^ .  ^t 
and  he  will  find  no  difficulty  in  the  work.     It  is  just   -?>-^*<- /  ^ 
a  rite  consisting  in  the  application  of  water  to  the 
person  of  the  baptized,  which  act,  the  baptizer  declares 
to  be  done  in  the  name  of  Christ.     But  let  him  now 
make  a  similar  attempt  with  ''  a  baptism  into  Christ," 
and  he  will  see  that  this  phrase  can  appropriately 
belong  to  a  spiritual  act  only. 

Tliis  distinction  in  the  use  of  these  forms  of  expres- 
sion, appropriate  in  itself,  is  uniformly  observed  by 
the  sacred  writers.  The  form  "  baptized  into  Christ," 
is  never  used  where  ritual  baptism  is  intended;  the 


■Oi 


166  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

form  "baptized  in  the  name  of  Christ,"  is  never  used 
but  when  ritual  baptism  is  intended. 

As  ilhistratiug  the  use  of  the  latter  form,  we  cite 
Matt,  xxviii.  19.  "Go  ye  therefore,  and  teach  all 
nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Acts,  ii.  38, 
"Then  Peter  said  unto  them,  Eepent,  and  be  bap- 
tized, every  one  of  you,  in  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ, 
for  the  remission  of  sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the 
gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost."  Acts,  xix.  5.  "And  he 
commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in  the  name  of 
the  Lord  Jesus."  In  all  these  instances,  the  context 
determines  that  the  baptism  spoken  of  is  the  external 
rite. 

As  illustrating  the.  use  of  the  other  form,  we  cite 
Gal.  iii.  2Y.  "For  as  many  of  you  as  have  been  bap- 
tized imio  Christ,  have  put  on  Christ."  1  Cor.  xii.  13. 
"For  by  one  Spirit  are  we  all  baptized  into  one 
body."  2  Cor.  x.  2.  "And  were  all  baptized  unto 
(or  hito^  Moses,  in  the  cloud  and  in  the  sea."  These 
passages,"  with  the  one  we  are  examining,  are  all  the 
passages  in  the  ITew  Testament,  in  which  this 
peculiar  form  of  expression  occurs.  In  the  case  of 
the  two  first  quoted,  we  have  already  shown  that 
the  baptism  spoken  of  is  a  spiritual  baptism.  (See 
§§  25,  26.)  In  the  case  of  the  third,  the  baptism 
^'■unto^  or  into  Moses,"  ritual   baptism  is  not  in- 


SYMBOLIC    IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM.  167 

tended;  but  in  caccordance  -svith  a  common  Scrip- 
tural usage,  the  name  of  the  antetype  is  thrown 
back  upon  the  type ;  Paul  meaning-  by  the  baptism 
of  Israel  into  Moses,  simply,  their  separation  unto 
God's  service,  in  union  with  Moses.     (See  §  22.) 

These  instances  of  the  use  of  these  two  forms  of 
expression,  baptized  into^  and  baptized  in  the  name 
of,  go  to  establish  the  usus  loquendi  of  the  sacred 
writers,  in  their  application  of  them;  and  require  us 
to  understand  Paul,  when  he  writes  "Know  ye  not 
that  so  many  of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Jesus  Christ," 
(Eora.  vi.  3,)  as  speaking,  not  of  a  ritual,  but  of  a 
spiritual  baptism. 

Second.  The  course  of  Paul's  argument  here,  de- 
mands the  spiritual  sense  of  baptism,  in  this  passage. 
He  is  answering  the  objection  of  a  caviller,  to 
the  doctrine  which  forms  the  grand  subject  of  his 
epistle  to  the  Romans — the  doctrine  of  justification 
by  faith,  without  the  deeds  of  the  law.  This  objec- 
tion he  first  states  in  ver.  1.  "Shall  we  continue  in 
sin,  that  grace  may  abound?" — just  the  grand  objec- 
tion made  to  this  doctrine  by  the  caviller,  in  every  age 
and  in  every  country,  that  it  tends  to  immorality.  In 
ver.  2,  Paul  indignantly  repels  the  inference  which 
constitutes  the  objection ;  "  God  forbid,"  his  usual  form 
of  expression  at  once  of  denial  and  of  abhorrence, 
"How  shall  we  that  are  dead  to  sin,  live  any  longer 


168  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

therein?"  And  here,  in  the  figurative  expression, 
'•'•dead  to  sin,''''  a  very  common  expression  with  Paul 
(See  Rom.  vii.  4;  2  Cor.  v.  14;  Eph.  ii.  1 ;  Col.  iii.  3), 
is  the  fountain  from  which  springs  the  phraseology 
running  through  vers.  3,  4,  in  which  verses  he  pro- 
ceeds to  answer  the  object  more  at  large. 

Let  us  now  ask  the  question ;  what  is  the  answer, 
which  the  Scriptures  teach  us  to  make  to  this  objec- 
tion— that  the  doctrine  of  gratuitous  justification 
tends  to  immorality?  Is  it  not  this?  That  in 
God's  scheme  of  salvation,  justification,  and  sanctifi- 
cation  (using  that  term  in  its  widest  sense,  as  in- 
cluding regeneration)  are  inseparably  connected. 
They  are  both  acts  of  a  sovereign  God;  and  in  the 
exercise  of  his  sovereignty,  God  never  pardons  a  sin- 
ner, without  working  in  that  sinner  a  death  unto  sin, 
that  he  may  live  unto  God.  This  is  just  the  answer 
which  Baptist  expositors,  in  common  with  ourselves, 
understand  the  Apostle  to  be  giving  expression  to  in 
vers.  3,  4;  but  with  this  difi"erence:  Baptist  exposi- 
tors understand  Paul  here  to  declare,  that  Christians 
have  professed  to  receive  this  as  true,  whilst  we 
understand  Paul  here  to  assert  its  truth';  and  con- 
sidering that  he  is  here  answering  the  objection  of  a 
caviller,  tliere  is  all  the  difference  between  these 
two,  in  so  far  as  argument  is  concerned,  that  there  is 
between  &  ^profession  and  a.  fact. 


SYMBOLIC    IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM.  169 

To  make  this  matter  plain,  let  us  paraphrase  this 
passage,  in  accordance  with  these  different  views  of 
its  interpretation. 

1.  Know  ye  (i.  e.  ye  cavillers,  who  saj,  let  us 
"  continue  in  sin  that  grace  may  abound,")  not,  that 
so  many  of  us  as  were  baptized  into  Christ,  were 
baptized  in  a  mode  Avhich  represented  in  emblem 
our  spiritual  death  with  him?  We  have  professed, 
in  receiving  such  a  baptism,  that  we  were  spiritually 
buried  with  him,  and  also  our  belief  that  like  as 
Christ  was  raised  up  from  the  dead,  by  the  glory  of 
the  Father,  even  so  we  also  should  walk  in  newness 
of  life. 

2.  Know  ye  (i.  e.  ye  cavillers)  not,  that  so  many  of 
us  as  have  been  regenerated  into  a  spiritual  union  with 
Christ,  have  been  regenerated  into  union  with  one 
dead  to  tlie  world?  Therefore,  being  regenerated 
into  union  with  him  in  this  his  death,  our  death  is 
complete;  we  are  buried  with  him  in  the  regenera- 
tion. (For  the  use  of  even  stronger  language  than 
the  word  huried^  to  express  the  idea  of  death  com- 
pleted, see  Ezek.  vii.  3,  12;  Gal.  vi.  12;  Col.  iii.  3.) 
And  we  thus  die,  that  the  same  glorious  God  who 
raised  up  Christ  from  the  dead,  may  raise  us  up  also, 
to  walk  in  newness  of  life. 

Third.  The  immediate  context  demands  the  spir- 
itual sense  of  baptism  hero.     The  resurrection  of  the 
8 


170  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

believer,  here  spoken  of,  is  one,  the  consequence  of 
which  is  that  he  shall  "walk  in  newness  of  life:" — 
not  hereafter  in  heaven;  but  here,  at  this  present 
time,  upon  earth.  The  resurrection,  then,  is  a  spir- 
ittioZ  resurrection.  The  death  of  which  Paul  speaks 
is  styled  in  verse  2,  a  "  death  to  sin ;"  i.  e.  a  sj)ir- 
itual  death.  The  burial  is  a  burial  "  into  this  death ;" 
verse  3.  A  burial  into  a  spiritual  death  must  be  a 
sj)iritual  hurial.  If,  then,  the  death,  burial,  and  re- 
surrection, here  spoken  of,  are  spiritual,  is  it  a  forced 
interpretation,  which  would  make  the  baptism  which 
they  constituted  ("buried  ly  baptism")  a  spiritual 
baptism?  Is  it  not,  rather,  a  forced  interpretation, 
which  would  make  it  anything  else  than  a  spiritual 
baptism  ? 

§  36.  Colossians^  U.  12. 

The  phrase,  "ye  are  risen  with  him  through  the 
faith  of  the  operation  of  God,"  is  sometimes  spoken 
of  as  if  the  "  operation,"  here  mentioned,  were  bap- 
tism. Perhaps  there  is  something  equivocal  in  our 
English  translation: — In  the  original  Greek,  how- 
ever, it  is  not  so.  Doddridge  translates  the  phrase  : 
"  Ye  were  raised  with  him,  by  belief  in  the  energy 
of  God,  who  raised  him  from  the  dead."  McKnight 
translates   it :    "  Ye   have    been    raised   with    him 


SYMBOLIC    IMPOKT   OF   BAPTISM.  171 

through  the  belief  of  the  strong-working  of  God, 
M'ho  raised  him  from  the  dead."  Both  of  these 
transhitions  are  more  literal  than  that  of  our  com- 
mon version,  and  they  both  bring  out  the  sense  in 
which  "the  operation  of  God"  is  to  be  understood. 

The  spiritual  sense  of  the  word  baptism,  in  this 
passage,  is  demanded : — 

First.  By  the  immediate  context.  (1.)  Paul  says 
of  the  believer's  resurrection  in  baptism,  it  is  "  by 
belief  in  the  energy,  or  strong-working  of  God,"  a 
resurrection  by  faith,  i.  e.  a  spiritual  resurrection; 
and  not  a  resurrection  out  of  the  water,  by  the 
strength  of  the  one  administering  the  baptism. 
"  Buried  with  him  in  baptism,  wherein,^''  i.  e.  in 
your  baptism,  "also  ye  are  risen  again  by  faith  in 
the  energy  of  God."  If  the  resurrection  is  spiritual 
so  must  the  bm-ial  be  also,  since  both  the  resur- 
rection and  burial  belong  to,  and,  in  fact,  consti- 
tute one  baptism;  and  the  baptism,  constituted  as 
it  is,  of  a  spiritual  burial  and  spiritual  resurrection, 
must  be  a  spiritual  baptism,  i.  e.  regeneration.  (2.) 
Paul  is  here  evidently  using  the  understood  nature 
of  the  older  rite,  circumcision,  to  illustrate  the 
nature  of  baptism ;  and  to  mark  this  the  more  dis- 
tinctly, he  calls  baptism  "  the  circumcision  of  Christ," 
or  Christian  circumcision.  Xow,  the  circumcision 
of  which  Paul  speaks,  he   declares  expressly,  is  a 


172  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

circumcision  made  without  hands,  in  putting  off 
the  body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh,"  i.  e.  a  spiritual 
circumcision.  We  can  understand  how  spiritual 
circumcision,  as  understood  by  those  to  whom  Paul 
addresses  himself,  shall  illustrate  the  nature  of  a 
spiritual  baptism,  but  not  of  water  baptism. 

Second.  By  Paul's  train  of  thought  and  reasoning 
running  throughout  this  chapter.  He  is  warning 
the  Colossians  against  the  danger  of  substituting 
formalism  for  spirituality  in  religion,  "Beware," 
writes  he,  "lest  any  man  spoil  you,  through  phi- 
losophy and  vain  deceit,  after  the  tradition  of  men, 
after  the  rudiments  of  this  world,"  (verse  8 ;)  which 
he  afterwards  more  fully  explains  in  his  words : 
"  Let  no  man,  therefore,  judge  you  in  meat,  or  in 
drink,  or  in  respect  to  a  holy-day,  or  of  the  new 
moon,  or  of  the  Sabbath  day.  Let  no  man  beguile 
you  of  your  reward  in  a  voluntary  humility,  and 
worshipping  of  angels,"  (verses  16,  18.)  A  striking 
specification,  this,  of  the  developments  of  formal- 
ism, as  they  presented  themselves  in  the  Jewish 
Church  in  Paul's  day,  and  as  they  have  appeared  in 
"  the  great  apostasy  "  since. 

"What  reasons  does  Paul  urge  why  Christians 
should  not  give  such  attention,  as  some  of  their 
Judaizing  members  contended  for,  even  to  some 
things  lawful  and  proper  in  themselves  and  in  their 


SYMBOLIC    IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM.  173 

own  place?  Among  others,  this:  "They  were  com- 
plete in  Christ,  in  whom  dwelleth  all  the  fullness  of 
the  Godhead  bodily,"  (verse  9.)  And  this  is  jusl  the 
point  on  which  he  is  enlarging  in  the  passage  under 
examination.  "In  whom  (i.  e.  in  Christ),  also,  ye 
are  circumcised  with  the  circumcision  made  without 
hands,  in  putting  off  the  body  of  the  sins  of  the  flesh 
by  the  circumcision  of  Christ:  hurled  with  hhn  in 
haptism I  (i.  e.  completely  dead  with  him  in  your 
regeneration),  wherein,  also,  ye  are  risen  with  him, 
through  faith  in  the  energy  of  God,  who  hath  raised 
him  from  the  dead."  Thus  interpreted,  verse  12  falls 
in  with  the  spirit  of  verse  11,  both  of  them  being 
expository  of  Paul's  meaning  in  saying  that  be- 
lievers are  "  complete  in  Christ." 


§  37.    1  Coiinthians,  XY.  29. 

"  Else  what  shall  they  do,  which  are  baptized  for 
the  dead,  if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all?  Why  are  they, 
then,  BAPTIZED  for  the  dead  ?" 

Dr.  Carson's  comment  on  this  passage  is:  "There 
must  be  an  argument  here,  and  this  object  of  bap- 
tism must  be  a  Scriptural  object,  otherwise  it  could 
not  be  an  argument.  Indeed,  though  to  us  the  pas- 
sage  may  be  diflicult,   from    difference   of  circum- 


174  THE   MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

Stances  with  respect  to  those  immediately  addressed, 
yet  it  is  evident  that  the  Apostle  considered  the 
argument  as  very  obvious  and  convincing.  JS^ow, 
to  consider  the  expression  to  be  a  reference  to  the 
mode  and  import  of  baptism,  as  implying  an  emblem 
of  the  resurrection  of  believers,  will  afford  a  natural 
meaning  to  the  words,  and  an  important  argument 
to  the  Apostle.  Baptism  is  an  ordinance  that  repre- 
sents our  burial  and  resurrection  Avith  Christ.  We 
are  baptized,  in  the  hope  that  our  dead  bodies  shall 
rise  from  the  grave.  Now,  if  there  is  no  resurrec- 
tion, why  are  we  baptized?  On  that  suj)position 
there  is  no  meaning  in  baptism.  It  is  absurd  for 
any  to  be  baptized,  baptism  being  a  figure  of  a  resur- 
rection, if  they  do  not  believe  in  a  resurrection." 

On  this  exposition,  we  remark: 

1.  It  seems  unaccountable  to  us,  if  the  resurrec- 
tion of  the  dead  was  so  clearly  figured  forth  in  bap- 
tism, in  the  believer's  "rising  from  his  watery 
grave,"  as  the  Baptist  contends  for,  that  serious 
doubts  respecting  the  reality  of  a  resurrection 
should  ever  have  arisen  in  the  Church  at  Corinth. 
And  yet,  that  tlie  doctrine  of  a  resurrection  had 
been  called  in  question,  and  even  rejected  by  some, 
is  evident  from  the  lengthened  proof  of  that  doctrine 
which  Paul  gives  in  the  context.  If  immersion 
were  the  mode  of  baptism  practised  at  Corinth,  and 


SYMBOLIC   IMPORT   OF   BAPTISM,  1T5 

by  divine  appointment,  the  rising  of  the  person 
immersed  out  of  the  water,  was  universally  under- 
stood to  be  an  emblem  of  the  believer's  resurrection 
from  the  grave;  and  this  so  unquestionably  true, 
that  Paul  could  appeal  to  it  as  a  decisive  argument 
in  establishing  the  fact  of  a  resurrection ;  we  cannot 
understand  how  it  is  possible  the  Corinthians  could 
ever  have  rejected  that  doctrine. 

2.  Dr.  Carson's  interpretation'  requires  us  to  read, 
"  Else  what  shall  they  do,  wliich  are  haptized  m  the 
hoj)e  of  a  resurrection  of  the  dead^''  instead  of  "  bap- 
tized/b?'  the  dead^''  as  Paul  has  written  it — i.  e.  to 
interpolate  "the  hope  of  the  resurrection,"  a  phrase 
which  may  entirely  change  the  meaning  of  the  text. 
Such  interpolations  should  never  be  made,  unless 
there  be  unquestionable  intimation  in  the  context, 
that  such  word  or  phrase  is  intended  to  be  supplied; 
and  no  such  intimation  is  given  here.  By  throwing 
in  a  word  or  phrase  here  and  there,  on  the  same 
principles  upon  which  Dr.  Carson  interpolates  the 
passage  under  examination,  it  will  be  a  very  easy 
matter  to  make  the  word  of  God  teach  anything 
Avhich  the  expositor  chooses. 

3.  K  the  Scriptures  teach  that  in  baptism  we  have 
symbolized  "the  resurrection  from  the  dead,"  of  the 
believer,  they  teach  that  truth  in  this  jpassage  only. 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  pp.  163,  164. 


176  THE   MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

The  believers  resurrection  spoken  of  in  Rom.  vi.  5, 
is  undoubtedly  a  spii-itual  resurrection,  i,  e.  a  resur- 
rection only  in  figure;  since  it  is  expressly  declared 
to  be  a  resurrection  "to  walk  in  newness  of  life." 
So  also  the  resurrection  sjjoken  of  in  Col.  ii.  12, 
where  the  resurrection  is  said  to  be  a  resurrection 
"through  faith." 

Eespecting  the  true  interpretation  of  this  passage, 
there  has  been  great  difference  of  opinion  among 
our  ablest  commentators;  and  this,  because  of  the 
obscurity  of  the  phrase  "baptized  for  the  dead." 
The  exposition  which  on  the  whole  we  prefer,  is  that 
which  makes  this  phrase  refer  directly  to  Christ 
Jesus,  here  called  "the  dead,"  on  the  supposition 
made  in  ver.  16,  that  he  is  not  risen  from  the  dead. 
Paul's  argument  then,  would  be  a  proof  of  the 
believer's  resurrection,  from  the  resurrection  of 
Christ. 

1.  This  interpretation  suits  the  course  of  Paul's 
argument  in  the  context.  This  chapter  oj^ens  with 
the  proof  of  the  resurrection  of  Christ,  that  he  was 
seen  after  his  resurrection  by  the  twelve,  by  five 
hundred  brethren,  the  greater  part  of  whom  were 
then  living,  and  by  Paul  hhnself.     (Vers.  4-8.) 

Then,  from  the  resurrection  of  Christ  thus  esta- 
blished, he  undertakes  the  refutation  of  the  danger- 
ous error  taught  by  some  in  Corinth,  that  there  was 


SYMBOLIC    IMPORT   OF    BATTTSM.  177 

110  resurrection  of  the  dead.  Yers.  12-16.  Pointing 
to  the  connection  existing  between  Christ  and  the 
believer,  such  as  that  between  the  first  fruits  and 
the  harvest,  ver.  20,  and  similar  to  that  between 
Adam  and  his  descendants,  vers.  21,  22,  Paul  argues 
that  the  condition  of  the  one  is  determined  by  that 
of  the  other;  and  hence,  concludes  that  "if  there  be 
no  resurrection  of  the  dead"  believer,  "then  Christ 
is  not  raised,"  Yer.  16.  Adopting,  for  argument's 
sake,  the  supposition  that  "Christ  is  not  raised,"  he 
shows  the  consequences  which  must  follow:  1.  "Your 
faith  is  vain;  ye  are  yet  in  your  sins,"  i.  e.  your 
faith  is  in  a  dead  person,  who  cannot  help  you. 
Yer.  17.  2.  "Having  hope  in  Christ,  in  this  life 
only,  we  are  of  all  men  most  miserable."  Yer.  19. 
3.  It  is  folly  to  be  baptized  for  a  dead  one,  as  Christ 
is  on  this  supposition;  "Else  what  shall  they  do, 
wdiich  are  baptized  for"  (i.  e.  separated  unto  the 
service  of)  "the  dead,  if  the  dead  rise  not  at  all? 
Why  are  they  then  baptized  for  the  dead?"  Yer.  29. 
Considering  from  ver.  24  to  ver.  29  a  parenthesis, 
and  such  it  evidently  is,  ver.  28  will  follow  immedi- 
ately the  other  statements  of  difficulty,  under  which 
the  supposition  that  "Christ  is  not  raised,"  in  Paul's 
view,  labors.  And  then  Paul  goes  on  to  answer 
certain  objections  to  the  doctrine  of  the  resurrection. 


178  THE    MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

and  to  state  tliat  doctrine  at  large  thronghont  the 
remainder  of  the  chapter. 

2.  In  the  original,  the  word  translated  "the  dead," 
is  in  the  j^lural  form.  "In  Greek  the  plural  form  is 
often  used  where  only  an  individual  or  a  particular 
thing  is  meant."  (See  Stuart's  N.  T.  Grammar, 
p.  149.)  And  grammarians  notice,  what  they  call 
"the  plural  of  dignity,"  i.  e.  the  plural  form  used  to 
indicate  dignity  in  the  person  spoken  of.  This  plu- 
ral of  dignity  in  "the  dead,"  if  we  understand 
Chris-t  Jesus  to  be  "the  dead"  one  intended,  is  just 
in  place  here.  This  peculiarity,  then,  in  the  origi- 
nal, when  we  call  to  mind  the  idiom  of  the  Greek, 
affords  strong  confirmation  of  the  correctness  of  this 
interpretation. 

We  would  paraphrase  the  passage:  On  the  sup- 
position that  Christ  is  not  risen — is  yet  dead,  what 
shall  they  do  who  are  baptized  for  this  dead  one? 
If  the  dead  rise  not  at  all,  why  are  we  then  baptized 
for  the  dead,  as  we  all  have  been  when  "baptized  in 
the  name  of  Jesus?" 


John's  baptisms  in  Jordan.  1T9 


CHAPTER     III. 

§  38.  John's  Baptisms  in  Jordan.  Matt.  iii.  1-16 ;  Mark,  i.  4-10 ;  Luke,  iii.  8, 21 ; 
John,  i.  28,  x.  40.  §  39.  John's  Baptisms  at  .SInos.  John,  iii.  23.  §  40.  The  Bap- 
tism of  the  Eunuch.    Acts,  viii.  36-39. 

§  38.  John's  Baptisms  in  Jordan. 

Matt.  m. 

Yer.  1.  "In  those  days  came  John  the  Baptist 
preaching  in  the  wilderness  of  Judea." 

5.  "Then  went  out  to  him,  Jerusalem  and  all  Judea, 

and  all  the  region  round  about  Jordan, 

6.  And  were  baptized  of  him  in  Jordan,  confessing 

their  sins." 
13.  "Then  cometli  Jesus  from  Galilee  to  Jordan,  unto 

John,  to  be  baptized  of  him." 
16.  "And  Jesus,  when  he  was  baptized,  went  up 

straightw^ay  out  of  the  water." 

Marie,  I. 

Ver.  4.  "John  did  baptize  in  the  wilderness,  and 
preach  the  baptism  of  repentance,  for  the 
remission  of  sins. 


180  THE   MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

5.  And  there  went  out  unto  liim  all  the  land  of 
Judea,  and  they  of  Jernsalem,  and  were  bap- 
tized of  him  in  the  river  Jordan,  confessing 
their  sins." 

9,  "And  it  came  to  pass  in  those  days,  that  Jesus 

came  from  Nazareth  of  Galilee,  and  was  bap- 
tized of  John,  in  Jordan. 

10,  And  straightway  coming  up  out  of  the  water,  he 

saw  the  heavens  opened." 


Luke^  III. 

Yer.  3.  "And  he"  (John),  "came  into  all  the  coun- 
try about  Jordan,  preaching  the  baptism  of 
repentance,  for  the  remission  of  sins." 

21.  "]^ow,  when  all  the  people  were  baptized,  it 
came  to  pass,  that  Jesus  also  being  bajDtized, 
and  praying,  the  Heaven  was  opened." 


John,  I.  28,  X.  40. 

"These  tKings  were  done  in  Bethabara,  beyond  Jor- 
dan, where  John  was  baptizing."  "  And 
he,"  (Jesus),  "went  away  again  beyond  Jor- 
dan, into  the  place  where  John  first  bap- 
tized." 


John's  baptisms  in  jokdan.  181 

That  these  baptisms  of  John  were  baptisms  by 
immersion,  is  thought  by  Baptist  writers  to  be 
fairly  inferable :  1.  From  the  phraseology  of  the 
sacred  text,  "w  Jordan,"  '■'in  the  river  Jordan," 
and  more  especially,  "he  we7it  up  out  of  the  water. ''^ 
And  2.  From  the  fact  that  they  were  performed  in 
a  river. 

First.  Respecting  the  phraseology  used  by  the 
Evangelists,  we  ask:  Supposing  that  John  and 
Jesus,  in  the  baptism  of  the  latter,  had  together 
entered  the  water  to  such  a  depth  that  John,  by 
reaching  down  his  hand,  could  conveniently  obtain 
the  water  needed  to  baptize  him  by  aspersion, 
would  not  precisely  the  same  phraseology  have  been 
used  in  recording  the  baptism? — "in  Jordan,"  "in 
the  river  Jordan,"  and  "he  went  up  straightway  out 
of  the  water," 

That  this  was  indeed  the  way  in  which  Jesus  was 
baptized  by  John  is,  we  think,  rendered  more  than 
probable  by  several  considerations. 

1.  With  the  dress  of  the  people  of  Judea,  such  a 
baptism  would  be  altogether  natural.  The  princi- 
pal articles  of  dress  worn  by  the  common  people 
were,  a  loose  coat  or  toga,  reaching  down  a  little 
below  the  knee,  and  bound  to  the  body  by  a  girdle, 
and  wooden  sandals.  Such  a  dress  was  that  worn 
by  John  at  the  time  of  these  baptisms.     "And  the 


182  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

same  John  had  bis  raiment  of  camel's  hair,  and  a 
leathern  girdle  about  liis  loins."  (Matt.  iii.  4.),  If 
baptism  were  to  be  administered  in  a  warm  country 
like  Judea,  and  where  such  was  the  dress  of  all  par- 
ties, and  where  it  was  not  customary  for  the  people 
to  carry  drinking  vessels  of  any  kind  with  them  (in 
the  army  of  Gideon,  containing  at  the  time  ten 
thousand  men,  there  was  not  a  single  drinking  ves- 
sel found.  See  Judges,  vii.  5,  6,)  in  which  water 
could  conveniently  be  brought ;  what  more  natural 
than  that  a  baptism  hy  aspersion  should  be  adminis- 
tered IT)  the  way  we  have  supposed. 

2.  To  drink  by  raising  water  in  the  hand  to  the 
mouth,  in  the  same  way  in  which  we  have  supposed 
John  to  have  raised  the  water  for  baptizing  Jesus,  is 
a  very  common  custom  in  Eastern  countries  now, 
and  has  been  so  from  a  very  early  date,  as  is  evident 
from  the  way  in  which  God  directs  Gideon  to  select 
those  who  are  to  accompany  him  against  the  Midi- 
anites.  See  Judges,  vii.  5,  6.  The  true  explana- 
tion of  the  phrase  "every  one  that  lappeth  of  the 
water  with  his  tongue,  as  a  dog  lappeth,"  undoubt- 
edly is  that  these  men,  instead  of  kneeling  down  to 
take  a  long  draught,  or  successive  draughts,  from 
the  water,  employed  their  hand  as  the  dog  employs 
his  tongue ;  that  is,  forming  it  into  a  hollow  spoon, 
and  dipping  water  with  it  from  the  stream.     This 


John's  baptisms  in  jokdan.  183 

mode  of  drinking  is  often  practised  in  the  East,  and 
practice  alone  can  give  that  peculiar  tact  which 
generally  excites  the  wonder  of  travellers.  The 
interchange  of  the  hand  between  the  water  and  the 
month  is  managed  with  amazing  dexterity,  and  with 
nearly  or  qnite  as  much  rapidity  as  the  tongue  of 
the  dog  in  the  same  act.  The  water  is  not  sucked 
out  of  the  hand,  but  by  a  peculiar  jerk  is  thrown 
into  the  mouth  before  the  hand  is  brought  close  to 
it ;  so  that  the  hand  is  approacliing  with  a  fresh 
supply  almost  before  the  first  has  been  swallowed. 
This  explanation  will  serve  to  show  how  the  distinc- 
tion operated,  and  why  those  who  'lapped,  putting 
their  hands  to  their  mouths,'  were  considered  to 
evince  an  alacrity  and  readiness  for  action,  which 
peculiarly  fitted  them  for  the  service  in  which 
Gideon  was  engaged."  (Bush's  Kotes.  Judges,  vii.  5.) 
3.  As  remarked  in  §  10,  the  oriental  method  of 
bathing,  whether  performed  in  a  river  or  in  a  bath, 
is  not  by  immersing  the  body  in  water,  but  by 
having  the  water  thrown  upon  the  body  by  an 
attendant,  as  all  travellers  tell  us.  And  such,  we 
have  reason  to  believe,  has  been  the  custom  prevail- 
ing for  ages:  1.  Because  the  oriental  nations  are 
remarkable  for  seldom  or  nevei*  changing  a  custom ; 
and,  2.  Because  the  Scriptural  accounts  of  bathings 
performed  in  ancient  days  contain  hints,  at  the  least, 


184  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

of  these  bathings  being  performed  in  this  way. 
Pharaoh's  daughter,  when  she  went  "to  wash  her- 
self at  the  river,"  was  acconapanied  by  her  maidens. 
(See  Ex.  ii.  5.)  Judith,  when  she  washed  herself  in 
the  valley  of  Bethulla,  was  accompanied  by  her 
maid.  (See  Judith,  xiii.  10.)  And  in  the  sixth 
chapter  of  Tobit,  we  have  an  account  of  a  young 
man  washing  himself  in  a  river,  where  the  word 
^er*-klusasthai,  to  throw  up  the  water  as  in  waves 
around  his  hody^  is  used  to  describe  his  washing. 
(Tobit,  vi.  2.) 

In  inter^jreting  such  a  narrative  as  that  given  us 
in  the  Gospels,  of  John's  baptisms,  we  must  be 
guided  by  the  customs  of  the  country  in  which  the 
transaction  narrated  occurred,  and  not  by  the  cus- 
toms of  some  other  country :  and,  in  view  of  these 
facts  just  stated,  we  affirm  that  all  we  can  learn  of 
the  customs  prevalent  in  Judea  at  the  time  John 
baptized  in  Jordan,  favors  the  idea  of  baptism  by 
aspersion  in  the  manner  we  have  sujjposed,  and  is 
adverse  to  the  idea  of  baptism  by  immersion. 

4.  All  the  most  ancient  pictorial  representations  of 
the  baptism  of  Christ  in  Jordan,  and  some  of  them 
are  of  great  antiquity,  represent  the  baptism  as  per- 
formed in  the  way  we  have  supposed.  The  evi- 
dence, in  questions  respecting  ancient  manners  and 
customs,  afforded  by  contemporary  pictures,  is,  on 


John's  baptisms  in  jokdan.  185 

all  hands,  considered  the  most  reliable  which  can  be 
obtained.  The  pictures  which  have  been  discovered 
in  the  ancient  tombs  of  Egypt  have  shut  the  mouth 
of  many  an  infidel  caviller  at  Moses'  history  ;  and 
did  the  pictures  of  John's  baptism  of  Jesus  date  back 
to  the  days  of  Christ,  they  would  be  absolutely  deci- 
sive of  the  question.  They  cannot,  however,  claim  so 
great  antiquity  as  this.  From  the  peculiar  circum- 
stances attendant  upon  the  early  spread  of  Christian- 
ity, and  more  especially  the  persecutions  which  it  en- 
countered, if  there  were  any  such  pictorial  representa- 
tions then  made  they  have  not  come  down  to  us. 
Still,  there  are  some  very  ancient  engraved  plates  and 
mosaics  depicting  the  scene  (for  this  was  a  favorite 
subject  of  early  Christian  art),  and  more  recently, 
pictorial  representations  have  been  discovered  in  the 
catacombs  of  Rome,  which,  probably,  date  back  to 
the  time  of  the  primitive  persecutions,  and  these  all 
agree  in  representing  the  baptism  of  Jesus  in  Jordan 
as  performed  by  aspersion,  and  in  the  way  we  have 
supposed.' 

Now,  we  do  not  think  that  the  evidence  of  these 
pictorial  representations  absolutely  decides  this  mat- 
ter, as  it  would  if  they  were  contemporary  represen- 
tations. But  this,  we  do  think,  must  in  all  fairness 
be  allowed,  that  when  the  language  of  the  record 

'  For  copies  of  two  of  these,  see  frontispiece. 


186  TEE    MODE   OF    BAPTISM. 

will  suit  either  method,  equally  well,  this  evidence 
should  come  in  to  determine  our  choice  between 
the  two,  considered  as  a  choice  between  probaMlities. 

Second. — The  tact  that  these  baptisms  by  John 
were  performed  in  a  river,  is  thought,  by  Baptist 
writers,  to  furnish  proof  that  they  were  performed  by 
immersion.  "  What  could  take  him,"  i.  e.  Jesus, 
"  into  the  river  at  all  if  he  was  only  to  be  sprinkled  ? 
what  could  take  him  to  the  edge  of  the  water  ?  what 
could  take  him  to  the  river?  'No  rational  answer 
can  ever  be  given  to  this  on  the  ground  that  sprink- 
ling a  few  drops  of  water  is  baptism."  ^  So  writes 
Dr.  Carson.  Let  us  see  if  the  Scriptures  will  give  us 
any  answer  to  these  questions. 

1.  John  was  preaching  in  "a  wilderness"  (Matt, 
iii.  1),  and  this  wilderness  extended  down  to  the  very 
bank  of  the  Jordan,  for  thus  only  can  we  explain  the 
language  of  Mark,  "  John  did  baptize  in  the  wilder- 
nessJ^  (Mark,  i.  4.)  A  wilderness,  or  desert  country, 
would  not  contain  either  wells  or  springs  of 
water.  If,  then,  baptism  is  to  be  administered,  even 
by  aspersion,  to  the  multitudes  who  thronged  about 
John — "  Jerusalem,  and  all  Judea,  and  all  the  region 
round  about  Jordan"  (Matt.  iii.  5) — to  receive  bap- 
tism at  his  hands,  we  see  not  how  the  water  could  be 
conveniently  obtained,  excepting  by  all  parties  going 

^Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  373. 


John's  baptisms  at  ^non.  187 

to  the  river  ;  and  in  the  warm  climate  of  Jndea,  and 
with  the  dress  and  costumes  common  at  that  day, 
we  see  not  how  it  could  be  as  conveniently  adminis- 
tered, in  an_y  other  way,  as  by  the  parties  walking 
into  the  Jordan,  as  we  have  supposed  them  to  do. 

2.  A  second  reason  why  John  baptized  in  Jordan, 
exists  in  the  nature  of  John's  baptism.  As  we  have 
already  shown  in  §  29,  John's  baptism  was  not  Chris- 
tian baptism,  but  a  Jewish  baptism.  It  was  a  bap- 
tism administered  in  Judea,  by  a  Jew,  to  Jews,  and 
whilst  the  Old  Testament  dispensation  had  not  as  yet 
passed  away.  The  law  of  Moses  was  still  in  force,  as 
is  evident  from  our  Savior's  teaching  and  example,  up 
to  the  time  of  the  pentecostal  baptism  of  the  Apos- 
tles with  "the  Holy  Ghost  and  with  fire."  According 
to  the  law  of  Moses,  whatever  an  unclean  person 
touched,  even  water,  was  thereby  rendered  unclean — 
an  exception  being  made  in  the  case  of  running  wa- 
ter, including  fountains  and  "  pits  wherein  is  plenty 
of  water"  (see  §  10),  a  kind  of  pit  not  to  be  met  w^ith 
in  "  a  wilderness."  John's  baptisms  were  undoubt- 
edly of  the  nature  of  purifications,"  i.  e.  a  separation 
of  the  baptized  unto  God's  service,  as  expectants  of 
the  coming  Messiah,  and  if  these  baptisms  are  to  be 
performed  in  accordance  with  the  requirements  of 
the  law,  no  other  place  than  such  an  one  as  the  "  river 
Jordan,"  or  vEnon  (sec  §  39),  will   answer  the  pur- 


18S  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

pose.  And  in  proof  that  this  was  the  great  reason 
wliy  John  baptized,  first  in  Jordan  and  afterwards  at 
J^non,  we  ask  the  reader  to  remark  the  fact  that  af- 
ter the  Christian  dispensation  was  fairly  introduced, 
we  read  no  more  in  the  Word  of  God  of  baptisms  "  in 
rivers,"  but,  in  every  instance,  baptisms  appear  to 
have  been  administered  just  where  the  convert  has 
been  led  to  embrace  tlie  truth,  as  in  the  case  of  the 
three  thousand  on  the  day  of  pentecost,  and  the  cases 
of  Paul,  of  Cornelius,  and  the  Jailer  at  Phillippi. 

Here,  then,  we  have  two  answers  to  Dr.  Carson's 
questions,  "  What  could  take  him  to  the  river  if  he 
was  only  to  be  sprinkled  ?  what  could  take  him  to  the 
edge  of  the  water?"  And  they  are  both  of  them 
sj)iritual  answers  too,  suggested  by  the  inspired  nar- 
rative itself.  Can  as  much  be  said  on  behalf  of  im- 
mersion, as  a  reason  for  John's  baptizing  in  Jordan. 


§  39.  JolirCs  haptisms  at  JEnon. 

John,  iii.  ver.  23. — "  And  John  also  was  baptizing  in 
JEnon,  near  to  Salim,  because  there  was 
much  water  (literally,  many  waters)  there." 

1.  What  are   we   to   understand  by  the  "  much 
water  "  (or,  as  both  the  words  in  the  Greek  have  the 


John's  baptisms  at  ^enon.  189 

plural  form,  a  literal  translation  will  be  "  many 
waters")  here  spoken  of?  Some  will  answer — sim- 
ply, a  large  quantity  of  water.  To  this  we  reply  ; 
Scripture  usage  is  at  variance  with  this  answer,  No 
example  can  be  adduced  of  the  use  of  this  form  of 
expression,  in  the  New  Testament,  to  designate 
the  quantity  of  water  merely.  It  is  the  waters  of  a 
sea  or  lake,  as  broken  into  waves,  or  the  multiplied 
waters  of  numerous  streams  or  fountains  to  which 
alone  it  is  applied.     Rev.  i.  15  ;  Rev.  xvii.  1,  15. 

The  suggestion  arising  out  of  the  peculiar  form  of 
expression  used  in  the  text,  becomes,  in  our  view,  a 
certainty,  when  we  take  into  account  the  name  of 
the  place  "  ^non."  "  En  or  ^n,"  says  Calniet,  in 
his  Bible  Dictionary,  "  signifies  a  fountain^  for 
which  reason  we  find  it  compounded  in  many  names 
of  places  ;  e.  g.  En-Dor,  i.  e.  the  fountain  of  Dor, 
En-Geddi,  i.  e.  the  fountain  of  Geddi."  Ononis  the 
l)lural  of  J^n,  and  of  course  means  fountains.  The 
names  of  almost  all  places,  in  early  times,  were  signi- 
ficant, and  given  on  account  of  some  remarkable 
event  which  had  happened  there,  or  some  peculiarity 
of  the  place.  How  is  it  likely  that  this  place  ever 
got  the  name  of  ^non  (the  springs)  excepting  from 
the  fact  that  there  were  many  fountains  there. 
Translate  the  passage  literally,  and  fully,  and  it  will 
read — "  John  was  baptizing  at  the  springs  near  to 


190  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

Saliin,  because  there  were  many  waters  there." 
Does  not  the  interpretation  which  wouhl  make  these 
"  many  waters"  to  be  many  fountains  or  streams,  ap- 
pear, not  simply  the  most  natural,  but  the  only 
natural  one. 

2.  But  why  select  this  place,  on  this  account,  for 
administeriDg  baptism?  Certainly,  not  because 
fountains,  or  streams  near  their  fountains,  are  pecu- 
liarly adapted  to  immersion.  We  have  read,  in  our 
day,  of  baptism  by  immersion  in  rivers,  in  ponds,  and 
in  baptistries,  but  never  of  immersions  in  springs  or 
fountains.  Nor  can  we  admit  the  explanation  some- 
times given,  that  the  "  many  waters "  at  -^Enon, 
made  it  a  very  suitable  place  for  peojjle  to  congre- 
gate in  large  numbers,  since  they  would  thus  be  se- 
cured against  all  suffering  from  thirst.  In  writing 
as  the  Apostle  does — "  John  was  haj>tizing  at  ^non, 
near  to  Salim,  because  there  were  many  waters 
there,"  he  seems,  according  to  fair  principles  of  inter- 
pretation, to  mention  the  "  many  waters"  there,  as 
that  which  rendered  the  place  a  fit  one  for  adminis- 
tering baptism  at. 

John  selected  ^non  for  his  later  baptisms,  and 
^Enon  was  a  fit  place  for  those  baptisms,  because 
those  baptisms  were  Jewish  and  not  Christian  bap- 
tisms. The  law  of  Moses  must  be  complied  with, 
and  that  law  required  that  baptisms  such  as  these 


TUK  BAPTISMS  OF  TUK  KUNCCH.         191 

sliould  be  administered  in  running  water,  or  in  a 
spring,  or  a  pit  wherein  was  plenty  of  water ;  and 
this,  in  order  that  the  defilement  which  the  water  ac- 
quired by  contact  with  the  person  first  baptized, 
might  not  unfit  it  for  the  baptism  of  the  second. 


§  40.  The  haptism  of  the  Eunuch. 

Acts.  viii.  ver.  36.  ''  And  as  they  went  on  their  way, 
they  came  to  a  certain  water :  and  the  eunuch 
said,  See,  here  is  water ;  what  doth  hinder  me 
to  be  baptized  ? 

37.  And  Philip  said.  If  thou  believest  with  all  thy 

heart  thou  mayest.  And  he  answered  and 
said,  I  believe  that  Jesus  Christ  is  the  Son  of 
God. 

38.  And  he  commanded  the  chariot  to  stand  still : 

and  they  went  down  both  into  the  water,  both 
Philip  and  the  eunuch ;  and  he  baptized  him. 

39.  And  when  they  were  come  uj)  out  of  the  water, 

the  Spirit  of  the  Lord  caught  away  Philip,  that 
the  eunuch  saw  him  no  more  :  and  he  went  on 
his  way  rejoicing." 

This  baptism  of  the  Ethiopian  eunuch  by  Philip  is 
thought  to  have  been  a  baptism  by  immersion,  from 


192  THE    MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

Luke's  use  of  the  expressions — "  And  they  went  down 
both  i7ito  the  water.  And  when  they  were  coone  up 
out  of  the  water."  Admitting,  for  the  present,  the 
Baptist's  supposition,  that  the  "certain  water  here 
mentioned  was  some  large  body  of  water,  such  as  a 
river  or  pool ;  we  ask — Would  not  Luke  liave  used 
the  same  forms  of  expression  in  describing  tlie  trans- 
action, had  the  baptism  been  performed  in  the  other 
way,  which  all  the  most  ancient  pictorial  representa- 
tions of  our  Lord's  baptism  point  out  as  that  which 
John  practised? 

But  there  are  circumstances  in  this  narrative,  which 
lead  us  to  think  that  the  eunuch  was  baptized  with- 
out either  he  or  Philip  entering  the  water. 

The  Greek  word  here  translated  into^  is  the  same 
word  translated  unto,  in  Matt.  xv.  24,  "  I  am  not  sent 
but  unto  the  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of  Israel ;"  Matt, 
xxii.  4,  "  All  things  are  ready  :  come  imto  the  mar- 
riage ;  John,  xi.  31,  "She  goeth  v.nto  the  sepulchre, 
that  she  may  weep  there ;"  said  of  Mar}^,  while  the 
stone  which  closed  the  sepulchre  was  not  yet  taken 
away,  v.  39.  And  the  Greek  word,  translated  '■^  out 
o/","  is  the  same  translated  from,  in  Matt.  xiii.  49, 
"  And  sever  the  wicked  from  among  the  just," 
Mark,  xiii.  27,  "And  shall  gather  together  his  elect 
from  the  four  winds ;"  Mark,  i.  11,  "  And  there  came 
a  voice  from  heaven,  saying.  Thou  art  my  beloved 


THE  BAFriSM  OF  THE  EUNUCH.        193 

Son,  in  whom  I  am  well  pleased."  From  these  ex- 
amples (and  we  could  easily  adduce  many  more,  did 
it  seem  necessary),  it  is  ev'ident  that  Scriptural  usage 
will  authorize  the  translation,  either  into  or  unto,  and 
Old  of  or  from,  and  consequently  the  translation,  in 
an}'  particular  instauce,  must  be  determined  in  some 
way,  before  it  can  be  appealed  to  in  argument. 

Can  the  sense  in  which  they  are  here  used  be  de- 
termined from  the  context  ?  The  Baptist  will  say  the 
expi-essions  ••'  went  down''''  and  "  came  ujp'''  call  for  the 
translations  ?Wo  and  out  of.  The  verbs  of  motion 
here  in  question,  in  the  original  Greek,  are  compound- 
ed with  the  prepositions,  instead  of  standing  separate, 
as  they  do  in  our  English  version.  A  literal  transla- 
tion, preserving  the  exact  form  of  the  original  as  far 
as  it  can  be  preserved  in  a  translation,  is — "  And  he 
commanded  the  chariot  to  stand,  and  they  descended 
both  eis  {unto  or  into)  the  water,  that  is,  Philip  and 
the  eunuch,  and  he  baptized  him.  And  when  they 
ascended  ek  {from  or  out  of)  the  water."  It  is  only 
in  our  English  translation,  then,  that  the  expressions 
"  went  down^^  and  "  came  up "  seem  to  call  for  the 
translations  into  and  out  of. 

If,  however,  as  we  think,  the  '•''certain  water''"'  at 
which  this  baptism  was  performed,  can  be  shown 
to  have  been,  in  all  probability,  a  wayside  well  or 
fountain,  this  would  determine   the   translation    of 


194  THE    MODE   OF   BAPTlSil. 

these  prepositions,  as  men  do  not  usually  go  into, 
but  unto  a  well  or  fountain,  and  do  not  come  out  oi'. 
hviifroyn  one. 

Our  reasons  for  thinking  this  "certain  water" 
was  in  all  probability,  a  wayside  well  or  foun- 
tain, are: 

1.  The  name  which  Luke  gives  it — "a  certain 
water,"  (and  this  is  a  literal  translation  of  the  ori- 
ginal), does  not  imj^ly  anything  more  than  such  a 
wayside  well.  This  fact,  taken  in  connection  with 
the  other,  that  he  gives  it  no  specific  name — rivers, 
lakes,  and  even  pools,  ordinarily  having  particular 
names,  and  names  by  which  they  are  spoken  of  in 
Scripture — naturally  suggests  that  this  was  some 
inconsiderable  wayside  well  or  fountain,  having 
no  particular  name,  and  therefore  called  by  the 
most  general  of  all  names,  "a  certain  water." 

2.  On  the  way  from  Jerusalem  to  Gaza,  the  way 
that  Philip  and  tlie  eunuch  were  travelling  when 
they  came  to  this  "certain  water,"  neither  the 
Scriptures  nor  the  writings  of  modern  travellers  give 
us  the  slightest  intimation  of  the  existence  of  any 
river  or  other  large  body  of  water. 

3.  Luke  expressly  tells  us,  that  the  way  they 
were  travelling  was  a  ^'■desert''''  way:  "In  the  way 
that  goeth  down  from  Jerusalem  to  Gaza,  which  is 
desert" — not  Gaza,  but — "the  way  is  desert."     On 


THE  BAP-nSM  OF  THE  EUNUCH.         195 

a  desert  way,  it  is  altogether  improbable  that  any 
hirge  body  of  water  would  be  met  with:  whilst  we 
know,  from  various  intimations  in  Scripture,  as  well 
as  from  the  testimony  of  modern  travellers,  that 
wayside  wells  are  to  be  met  with  even  in  desert 
countries,  and  that  the  routes  of  travel  are  usually 
arranged  with  reference  to  these  wayside  wells. 

4.  Besides  all  this,  we  think  that  there  is  intima- 
tion in  the  inspired  record  of  this  event,  of  the  way 
in  which  this  baptism  was  actually  performed.  Let 
the  reader  notice  that  the  subject  of  baptism  is 
introduced  by  the  eunuch,  and  not  by  Philip :  "  And 
the  eunuch  said.  See,  here  is  water,  what  doth  hinder 
me  to  be  baptized?"  Was  there  anything  in  the 
passage  of  Scripture  that  Philip  was  expounding? 
which  would  naturally  bring  up  this  subject  before 
the  mind  of  the  eunuch?  The  passage  from  which 
Phi'ip  was  preaching  unto  him,  Jesus,  was  from  the 
prophecy  of  Isaiah.  (See  vers.  32,  33.)  Turning  to 
this  passage  (remembering  that  the  division  of  the 
Bible  into  chapters  is  of  modern  origin,  and  there- 
fore, of  no  authority),  it  will  be  seen  that  the  pas- 
sage commences  with  the  13th  verse  of  chap.  52, 
and  embraces  the  whole  of  chap.  53;  since  it  is  in 
the  verse  first  mentioned,  Isaiah  introduces  the  sub- 
ject of  Christ's  vicarious  sufferings,  the  subject  of 
which  he  continues  to  treat  throughout  the  follow- 


196  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

ing  chapter.  Among  the  first  things  that  Isaiah 
says  of  Jesus  is,  "so  shall  he  sjyrinkle  many  nations." 
(Isai.  Hi.  15.)  Could  Philip  have  expounded  these 
words  without  being  led  to  speak  of  baptism — and 
then,  how  natural  would  it  be,  when  they  came  to 
"a  certain  water,"  that  the  eunucTi  should  say,  "See, 
here  is  water,  what  doth  hinder  me  to  be  baptized  ?" 
But  if  Philip  preached  baptism  to  the  eunuch,  from 
the  words  "he  shall  sprinkle  many  nations,"  was  it 
likely  to  be  a  baptism  by  immersion? 

Whilst,  then,  we  grant  that  the  Greek  preposition 
eis  means  into  as  well  as  to^  and  eh  means  out  of  as 
well  ^^froin\  for  all  these  reasons,  we  translate  the 
passage  under  examination:  "And  they  descended 
both  to  the  water,  that  is,  Philip  and  the  eunuch,  and 
he  baptized  him.  And  when  they  ascended  from  the 
water;"  and  we  exj)ress  the  opinion  that  whilst  there 
is  not  absolute  certainty,  yet  all  the  probabilities 
which  can  be  gathered  from  a  careful  examination 
of  the  sacred  nai-rative,  favor  the  idea  that  this  bap- 
tism of  the  eunuch  by  Philip,  was  performed  by 
'■'■s^inkling^''  and  not  by  immersion. 

The  reader  has  now  all  the  facts  of  this  case  before 
him ;  and  we  ask,  is  there  anything  here  to  author- 
ize such  language  as  that  of  Dr.  Carson?  "The 
man  who  can  read  it  (-?'.  e.  Acts,  viii.  S6-39),  and 
not  see  hiwiersion  in  it,  must  have  something  in  his 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  EUNUCH.         197 

mind  unfavorable  to  the  investigation  of  truth.  As 
long  as  I  fear  God,  I  cannot,  for  all  the  kingdoms  of 
the  world,  resist  the  evidence  of  this  single  docu- 
ment. Nay,  had  I  no  more  conscience  than  Satan 
himself,  I  could  not,  as  a  scholar,  attempt  to  expel 
immersion  from  this  account.  All  the  ingenuity  of 
all  the  critics  in  Europe  could  not  silence  the  evi- 
dence of  this  passage.  Amidst  the  most  violent 
perversion  that  it  can  sustain  on  the  rack,  it  will 
still  c\'j  OMi,  immersion,  immersion P'' ''  Is  this  the 
calm  expression  of  a  conclusion  intelligently  reached? 
or  is  it  the  blustering  dogmatism  and  denunciation 
of  the  prejudiced  advocate  of  a  weak  cause? 

^  Carsou  on  Baptism,  p.  128. 


198  THE    MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 


CHAPTEE      lY. 

§41.  The  Baptism  of  the  three  thousand,  Acts,  ii.  88,  41.  §42.  Paul's  Baptism, 
Acts,  ix.  IT,  18 ;  xxii.  12-16.  §  43.  The  baptism  of  Cornelius,  Acts,  x.  44-48. 
§  44.    The  Baptism  of  the  Jailer,  Acts,  xvi.  82-34. 

§  41,  The  Baptism  of  the  three  thousand. 

Acts,  ii.  ver.  38.  "  Then  Peter  said  unto  them, 
Pepent  and  be  baptized  every  one  of  you,  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost. 

41.  Then  they  that  gladly  received  his  word  were 
BAPTIZED :  and  the  same  day  there  were  added 
unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls." 

In  this  record,  it  appears : — 1.  That  the  three 
thousand  persons  here  mentioned,  were  baptized  im- 
mediately upon  the  close  of  Peter's  sermon  ;  and,  of 
course,  in  but  a  part  of  a  day  ;  and  2.  That  these  bap- 
tisms were  administered  in  the  same  place  where  that 
sermon  had  been  preached,  i.  e.  at  the  door  of  the 
house  in  which  the  Apostles  were,  when  they  them- 


THE  BAPTISM  OF  THE  THREE  THOUSAND.    199 

selves  were  baptized  "  with  tlie  Holy  Gliost  and  with 
fire ;"  at  the  least,  there  is  no  intimation  given  by 
Luke  of  their  having  quitted  that  place.  Taking 
nothing  for  granted  now,  but  what  appears  in  the 
sacred  record,  the  baptism  of  these  three  thousand,  if 
performed  bv  aspersion,  would  all  seem  ver}-  natural ; 
the  water-pots  which  the  Jews  were  accustomed  to 
keep  near  the  entrance  of  their  houses  for  purification 
(see  John,  iii.  6),  would  have  furnished  a  convenient 
and  abundant  supply  of  water  for  baptizing  the  whole 
three  thousand  in  this  way.  But  in  supposing  they 
were  baptized  by  immersion,  there  is  serious  diffi- 
culty, both  in  the  fact  that  so  large  a  number  were 
baptized  in  so  short  a  time,  and  in  the  fact  that  no 
mention  is  made  of  their  having  quitted  the  place 
where  they  had  listened  to  Peter's  sermon,  in  order 
that  the  baptism  might  be  performed. 

This  last-mentioned  fact  would  not  have  claimed, 
fairly,  as  much  attention  as  it  does,  were  it  not  true 
that  in  the  case  of  the  travelling  eunuch,  in  circum- 
stances in  which  no  convenient  vessel  for  bringing 
the  water  was  likely  to  be  at  hand  (for  in  eastern 
countries  travellers  do  not  ordinarily  carry  drinking 
vessels  with  them,  as  illustrated  in  the  case  of 
Gideon's  ten  thousand  men.  Judges,  vii.  5, 6),  we  are 
expressly  informed  that  they  both  left  the  chariot, 
"  and  descended  to  the  water ;"  whilst,  in  the  bap- 


200  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

tism  of  these  three  thousand,  the  baptism  of  Paul, 
the  baptism  of  Cornelius,  and  that  of  the  Philippian 
jailer,  all  which  were  performed  in  cities,  or  in 
honses,  where  water  vessels  must  have  been  at  hand, 
no  intimation  is  given  of  the  parties  having  quitted 
the  spot,  for  baptism.  But,  in  every  instance,  the 
natural  interpretation  of  the  narrative  is,  that  the 
baptisms  were  performed  just  where  the  parties  to 
be  baptized  first  believed  in  Christ  Jesus. 


§  42.  PauVs  Baptism. 

Acts,  ix.,  ver.  17.  "And  Ananias  went  his  way, 
and  entered  into  the  house :  and  putting  his 
hands  on  him,  said,  Brother  Saul,  the  Lord 
(even  Jesus  that  appeared  unto  thee  in  the 
way  as  thou  earnest)  liath  sent  me,  that  thou 
mightest  receive  thy  siglit,  and  be  filled  witli 
the  Holy  Ghost. 

18.  And  immediately  there  fell  from  his  eyes,  as  it 
had  been  scales:  and  he  received  siglit  forlh- 
wath,  and  arose,  and  was  baptized." 

Acts,  xxii.,  ver.  12.  "  And  one  Ananias,  a  devout 
man  according  to  the  law,  having  a  good  re- 
port of  all  the  Jews  wliich  dwelt  there, 

13.  Came  unto  me,  and  stood,  and  said  unto  me, 


Paul's  eaptism.  201 

Brother  Saul,  receive  tlij  sight.  And  the 
same  hour  I  looked  up  upon  him. 

14.  And  he  said,  The  God  of  our  fathers  hath  cliosen 

thee,  that  thou  shouldst  know  his  will,  and 
see  that  Just  One,  and  shouldst  hear  the  voice 
of  his  mouth. 

15.  For  thou  shalt  be  his  witness  unto  all  men  of 

what  thou  hast  seen  and  heard. 

16.  And  now  why  tarriest  thou?  ai*ise  and  be  bap- 

tized, and  wash  away  thy  sins,  calling  on  the 
name  of  the  Lord." 


Let  the  reader  call  to  mind  now  the  facts  in  Paul's 
case,  as  we  learn  them  from  Luke's  narrative.  Ho 
had  been  struck  blind,  by  Jesus  appearing  to  liim  in 
a  light  above  the  brightness  of  the  mid-day  sun  ;  and 
in  this  condition,  led  by  his  attendants,  he  had 
come  to  the  house  of  Judas,  in  the  city  of  Damascus. 
Here  he  had  remained  three  days,  blind,  neither 
eating  nor  drinking,  but  engaged  in  prayer,  when 
Ananias  was  sent  of  God  to  him.  Head  now  the  in- 
spired record  of  his  baptism.  And  is  not  this  the  fair 
and  natural  interpretation  of  it ;  that  Paul  is  found 
of  Ananias,  kneeling  or  sitting  down,  and  engaged  in 
prayer,  and  tliat  whilst  he  is  yet  in  this  position,  his 
blindness  is  miraculously  removed  ;  and  then,  imme- 


202  THE    MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

diately,  lie  arises  from  his  knees,  and  is  there  baptized 
upon  the  spot,  and  baptized  in  a  standing  position  ? 

This  is  the  natural  interpretation  of  Luke's  lan- 
guage, as  it  appears  in  our  English  version.  In  the 
original,  the  language  is  more  definite.  On  the  ex- 
pressions "  arise  and  be  baptized  (literally,  standing 
up  be  bai^tized),  and  "  arose  and  was  baptized" 
(literally,  standing  up  he  was  baptized).  Dr.  J.  H. 
Kice  remarks  correctly :  "  According  to  the  idiom 
of  the  Greek  language,  these  two  words  do  not  make 
two  different  commands,  as  tlie  English  reader  would 
suppose,  when  he  read  1,  arise ;  2,  helaptized.  But 
the  participle  (arise,  literally,  standing  iijp)  simply 
modifies  the  signification  of  the  verb,  or  rather  is  used 
to  complete  the  action  of  the  verb ;  and,  therefore, 
instead  of  warranting  the  opinion  tliat  Paul  rose  up, 
went  out,  and  was  immersed,  it  definitely  and  pre- 
cisely expresses  his  posture  when  he  received  bap- 
tism."^ 

§  43.  Baptism  of  Cornelius. 

Acts,  X.  ver.  44.  "  While  Peter  yet  spake  these 
words,  the  Holy  Ghost  fell  on  all  them  which 
heard  the  word. 

45.  And  they  of  the  circumcision  which  believed, 

'  The  Pamphleteer.     No.  1,  p.  89. 
9* 


n.VPTISM    OF    CORNELIUS.  203 

were  astouislied,  as  many  as  came  witli  Peter, 
because  that  ou  the  Gentiles  also  was  poured 
out  the  gift  of  the  Holy  Ghost. 

46.  For  they  heard  them  speak  with  tongues,  and 

magnify  God.     Then  answered  Peter, 

47.  Can  any  man  forbid  water,  that  these  should  not 

be  BAPTIZED,  which  have  received  the  Hol}'^ 
Ghost  as  well  as  we  ? 

48.  And  he  commanded  them  to  be  baptized  in  the 

name  of  the  Lord." 

This  discourse  of  Peter's,  thus  followed  by  the 
outpom'ing  of  the  Spirit,  was  delivered  in  the  house 
of  Cornelius  (see  ver.  27),  and  was  addressed  to 
Cornelius  and  "his  kinsmen  and  near  friends," 
whom  he  had  assembled  there.  "While  Peter  was 
yet  speaking,"  i.  e.  before  he  had  brought  his 
discourse  to  its  intended  close,  "the  Holy  Ghost  fell 
on  all  them  which  heard  the  word."  Thus  were 
they  baptized  by  the  Lord,  as  foretold  by  John: 
"He  shall  baptize  you  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
with  fire."  Peter  seeing  this,  and  prepared  by  his 
vision  at  Joppa  to  understand  it  aright,  at  once  asks, 
(not  as  needing  or  desiring  an  answer,  but  as 
strongly  expressing  the  conclusion  to  which  he  had 
come),  "Can  any  man  forbid  water,  that  these 
should  not  be  baptized,   which  have  received   the 


204  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

Holy  Ghost  as  well  as  we?     And  he  commanded 
them  to  be  baptized  in  the  name  of  the  Lord." 

Here,  then,  as  in  the  cases  last  examined,  the 
natural,  and  the  only  natural  interpretation  of  the 
language  is,  that  these  baptisms  were  administered 
upon  the  spot;  and  as  God  had  baptized  them  by 
^'•pouring  out^''  by  causing  to  '-'-fall  on  them''''  the 
visible  symbol  of  the  Holy  Ghost,  that  God's  ser- 
vants baptized  them  also  by  '■'•  jpouring  out''''  water, 
the  symbol  of  the  Holy  Spirit's  influences  upon 
them. 

§  44.  Ba;ptisin  of  the  Jailer. 

Acts  XYL 

Yer.  32.  "  And  they  spake  unto  him  the  word  of  the 
Lord,  and  to  all  that  were  in  his  house. 

33.  And  he  took  them  the  same  hour  of  the  night,  and 

washed  their  stripes;   and  was  baptized,  he 
and  all  his,  straightway. 

34.  And  when  he  had  brought  them  into  his  house, 

he  set  meat  before  them,  and  rejoiced,  believ- 
ing in  God  with  all  his  house." 

There  is  a  slight  apparent  discrepancy  l)etween 
the  parts  of  this  account,  as  it  aj)pears  in  our  Eng- 


BAPTISM    OF   THE   JAILEK.  205 

lisli  version,  which  docs  not  exist  in  the  Greek.  It 
is  first  said,  "And  they  spake  unto  him  the  word  of 
the  Lord,  and  to  all  that  were  in  his  house^''  thus 
plainly  implying  that  the  address  of  Paul  and  Silas 
was  delivered  in  the  house.  And  then  afterwards, 
it  is  added — "And  when  he  had  brought  them  into 
his  house^  he  set  meat  before  them,"  as  if  they  had 
not  entered  the  house  before.  In  the  original,  there 
are  here  two  different  words  translated  by  the  one 
English  word  house.  The  one  used  in  ver.  32  is 
the  more  comprehensive  term,  including  not  only 
the  house  (in  our  English  sense  of  that  word),  but 
also  the  out-houses  and  servants'  apartments,  which, 
in  most  ancient  habitations,  surrounded  the  house 
proper,  and  enclosed  it  with  its  court.  The  one 
used  in  ver.  34  is  a  term  corresponding  more 
exactly  to  our  word  house. 

Bearing  this  distinction  in  mind,  a  fair  interpreta- 
tion of  Luke's  narrative  will  require  us  to  imder- 
stand  that  the  baptism  of  the  jailer  "and  all  his" 
was  performed  in  the  court,  and  this,  straightway 
(literally,  on  the  sjwt).  And  then,  that  after  this, 
they  were  taken  into  the  house  proper,  and  there 
refreshed.  Here,  then,  we  have  still  another  in- 
stance of  baptism  upon  the  spot  where  the  convert 
has  received  Christ,  and  where  wc  have  no  intima- 
tion of  there  being  water  for  baptism  by  immersion. 


206  THE   MDDE   OF   BAPTISM. 

Some  Baptist  writers  have  attempted  to  break  the 
force  of  the  argument,  from  these  several  baptisms 
upon  the  spot,  by  telling  iis  of  the  dependence  in 
wliicli  the  inhabitants  of  Jerusalem  were,  upon  the 
rains  of  heaven  for  the  water  needed  for  daily  use; 
and,  consequently,  of  the  large  number  of  cisterns 
which  had  been  built  in  that  city.  The  evidence  of 
the  existence  of  such  numerous  cisterns  in  Jerusalem 
is  very  questionable,  to  say  the  least  of  it.  But, 
granting  their  existence,  it  matters  not,  for  our  pres- 
ent purpose,  in  how^  great  numbers.  Of  w^hat  use 
will  cisterns  in  Jerusalem  be,  for  immersing  Paul  at 
Damascus,  or  Cornelius  at  Cassarea,  or  the  Jailer  at 
Philippi — not  one  of  which  places  is  even  in  Judea? 
Whilst,  in  the  case  of  the  only  one  of  these  baptisms 
which  did  take  place  at  Jerusalem — the  baptism  of 
the  three  thousand  on  the  day  of  Pentecost — the 
number  is  so  great  that  even  Baptist  writers  are  not 
satisfied  with  the  cisterns,  but  imagine  the  multi- 
tude to  have  gone  to  some  such  pool  as  that  of  Be- 
thesda  for  immersion. 


SUMMING   UP — CONCLUSION.  207 


SUMMING      UP — CONCLUSION. 

The  arguments  by  wliicli  the  Baptist  would  estab- 
lish his  position,  that  immersion  is  the  one,  only- 
mode  of  baptism,  as  stated  in  §33,  are,  from — 1,  Tlie 
meaning  of  the  word  haptizo ;  2,  The  emblematic 
import  of  baptism  ;  and  3,  The  practice  of  Christ 
and  his  apostles. 

The  reader  has  now  before  him  all  that  can  be 
gathered  from  the  Word  of  God  on  these  several 
points.  In  our  examination,  no  passage  of  Scripture 
calculated  to  throw  light  upon  this  subject  has  been 
omitted.  Let  us  bring  together  now  the  results  of 
this  examination. 

First.  The  argument  from  the  meaning  of  the 
word  BAPTizo.  Affirming  that  "  haptizo  is  a  specific 
term  ;  that  it  has  but  one  signification ;  that  it 
always  signifies  to  dip,  never  expressing  anything 
but  mode" — the  Baptist  argues  that  to  speak  of  bap- 
tizing by  sprinkling  or  pouring,  is  a  contradiction  in 
terms,  and  must  so  have  presented  itself  to  the  mind 
of  every  one  to  whom  the  command  "repent  and  be 
baptized  "  was  addressed,  in  the  days  of  Christ  and 
his  apostles — just  as  we,  at  the  present  day,  would 


208  THE    MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 

see  a  contradiction  in  terms  in  speaking  of  immers- 
ing by  sprinkling  or  pouring. 

In  Part  I.  we  have  examined  every  instance  of 
the  use  of  the  word  haptizo  in  the  Scriptures ;  and, 
as  the  result  of  that  examination,  have  found  that, 
in  the  Word  of  God,  tajptizo  is  always  used  as  a  reli- 
gious term,  in  the  Old  Testament  sense  of  the  word 
purify,  and  never  in  the  sense  of  dip  or  immerse. 
The  Baptist  argument  for  immersion,  from  the  mean- 
ing of  this  word,  then,  when  the  falsity  of  the  as- 
sumption upon  which  it  rests  is  made  to  appear,  falls. 

But  we  stop  not  here.  We  admit  that,  could  it 
he  shown  that  haptizo  did  signify  to  dip  and  to  dip 
only,  this  would,  to  say  the  least  of  it,  create  a 
strong  presumption  in  favor  of  dipping,  as  the  truly 
primitive,  apostolic  mode  of  baptism.  And  admit- 
ting this,  we  have  a  right  to  claim — when  it  is  shown 
(and  this  we  think  has  been  done)  that  haptizo  is 
always  used,  in  the  Word  of  God,  in  the  sense  of 
hatharizo,  to  purify — on  this  ground,  a  strong  pre- 
sumption in  favor  of  a  variety  in  mode  being  allowed 
in  baptism,  such  as  all  admit  was  allowed  in  the 
purifications  practised  under  the  Old  Testament  dis- 
pensation. 

Second,  The  o,rgument  from  the  emblematic  im- 
port of  haptism.  Assuming  that  in  baptism  we 
have   an   enil)lem,  not  of  spiritual  purification,  or 


BUMMING   UP CONCLUSION.  209 

regeneration,  alone,  but  also  of  "  death,  burial,  and 
resurrection,"  it  is  lience  inferred  that  as  in  immer- 
sion we  have  the  aptest  representation  of  death, 
burial,  and  resurrection,  baptism  must  have  been 
administered  by  Christ  and  his  apostles,  and  ought 
to  be  administered  in  our  daj,  by  immersion. 

1.  Understanding  this  death,  burial,  and  resur- 
rection to  be  spiritual — and  this  is  the  only  sense 
which  the  text  will  admit  of  in  Rom.  vi.  3,  4,  and 
Col.  ii.  12,  the  passages  chiefly  relied  upon  by  the 
Baptist — we  have  seen  that  the  argument  rests  upon 
the  false  assumption  that  spiritual  death,  burial,  and 
resurrection,  was  something  different  from  regenera- 
tion ;  whereas,  as  the  terms  are  used  in  Scripture, 
they  mean  one  and  the  same  thing.    §§  34,  35,  36. 

2.  Understanding  the  death,  burial,  and  resurrec- 
tion to  be  that  of  the  believer  (and  Baptist  authors 
sometimes  write  as  if  this  were  what  they  intended), 
the  argument  rests  upon  1  Cor.  xv.  29  alone,  a  pas- 
sage of  somewhat  doubtful  interpretation  ;  but  in 
which  all  the  probabilities  of  the  case  j^oint  us  to  the 
death  of  Christ  as  that  to  which  Paul  refers  in  his 
expression,  "baptized  for  the  dead:"  and  this,  not 
as  something  symbolized  in  baptism,  but  as  some- 
thing which  Paul  has  simply  supposed  to  be  true,  in 
the  course  of  his  argument  for  the  resurrection  of 
the  believer.  §  37. 


210  THE   MODI-:   OF   BAPTISM. 

Dr.  Carson  writes :  "  Had  no  emblem  but  that  of 
purification  been  intended  in  this  ordinance,  we  do 
not  say  that  immersion  would  be  either  essential  or 
preferable."  (p.  381.)  This  might  be  fairly  claimed 
by  us,  even  if  not  expressly  admitted  by  the  Baptist. 
W^e  have  seen  that  according  to  Scripture,  no 
emblem  but  that  of  purification  is  intended  to  be 
included  in  this  ordinance ;  and  hence,  we  conclude 
in  Dr.  Carson's  own  words,  "  that  immersion  is 
neither  essential  nor  preferable "  to  pouriug  or 
sprinkling,  as  a  mode  of  baptism. 

Third.  In  our  examination  of  the  practice  in  tJie 
days  of  Christ  and  his  Apostles^  as  that  practice  is 
to  be  gathered  from  the  inspired  narrative  of  bap- 
tisms then  administered,  we  have  found  : 

1.  That  the  baptisms  administered  by  John  Bap- 
tist and  by  Christ's  disci j)les,  before  our  Lord's 
death,  were  not  Christian,  but  Jewish  baj^tisms;  at 
least,  in  so  far  as  is  implied  in  their  being  adminis- 
tei-ed  in  Judea,  to  Jews,  by  John  and  Christ's 
disciples,  themselves  Jews,  and  whilst  the  Old  Tes- 
tament dispensation  had  not  as  yet  passed  away — 
the  law  of  Moses,  as  decided  by  Christ  himself, 
being  yet  in  force.  (§§  29,  38.)  Even  should  we 
admit,  then,  that  they  were  baptisms  by  immersion, 
this  admission  could  affect  our  decision  of  the  ques- 
tion respecting  the  mode  of  Christian  baptism,  only 


SUMMING   UP — CONCLUSION.  211 

as  it  "vrould  render  it  probable  that  the  Apostles 
afterward  practised  the  same  mode  ;  the  mode  of 
John's  baptism  can  no  more  bind  the  faith  of  the 
Church,  under  this  our  Christian  dispensation,  than 
that  of  other  Jewish  baptisms  (the  "  diverse  bap- 
tisms" of  which  Paul  speaks  in  his  Epistle  to  the 
Hebrews),  many  of  which  were  undoubtedly  per- 
formed by  sprinkliug. 

2.  But  we  do  not  admit  that  these  baptisms  of 
John's  and  Christ's  disciples  were  baptisms  by  im- 
mersion. So  far  from  it,  we  think  that  the  true  rea- 
son why  these  baptisms  were  performed  in  Jordan 
and  "at  ^non  (the  Springs)  near  to  Salim,"  is  to  be 
found  in  the  fact  that  they  were  Jewish  baptisms, 
Moses'  law  requiring  the  purification,  in  such  cases, 
to  be  effected  in  running  water.     §§  38,  39. 

3.  The  baptism  of  the  eunuch,  the  onlj-  Christian 
baptism,  in  the  account  of  which  the  Baptist  finds 
any  evidence  of  immersion,  appears  to  have  been  ad- 
minstered  at  a  wayside  well  or  fountain — and,  in-so- 
far  as  anything  can  be  learned  from  the  Scriptures, 
to  have  been  a  baptism  by  sprinkling.     §  40. 

4.  The  other  baptisms  recorded  in  the  Scripture ; 
viz.,  the  baptism  of  the  three  thousand  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  that  of  Paul,  that  of  Cornelius,  and 
that  of  the  Jailer  at  Pliilippi,  all  appear  to  have 
been  administered  upon  the  spot,  where  the  person 


212  THE    MODE    OF   BAPTISM. 

baptized  lirst  believed  in  Christ  Jesus ;  in  the 
streets  of  Jerusalem,  in  the  private  house  at  Csesa- 
rea  and  Damascus,  in  the  prison-court  at  Philippi, 
and  that  of  Paul,  at  the  least  to  have  been  adminis- 
tered with  the  baptized  person  in  a  standing  posture. 
All  these  circumstances,  irreconcilable  with  the 
idea  of  baptism  by  immersion,  accord  well  with 
that  of  baptism  by  sprinkling  or  pouring.  §§  41, 
42,  43,  44. 

5.  Even  admitting  (and  we  admit  it  simply  for 
argument's  sake)  that  it  could  be  clearly  shown  that 
the  Apostles  did  baptize  by  immersion  ;  this,  of  it- 
self, could  not  bind  the  faith  of  the  Church,  unless 
the  principle  were  established  that  mere  mode  is 
essential  to  the  validity  of  a  sacrament,  a  principle 
which  no  Christian  church  will  admit  to  be  true. 
There  can  be  no  question  that  the  Lord's  Supper,  as 
administered  by  Christ  to  his  disciples,  was  adminis- 
tered at  night,  the  communicants  lying  upon  couches 
around  a  table.  On  these  points  no  question  has 
ever  been  raised.  Unless,  then,  some  good  reason 
can  be  given  why  mode  is  essential  to  one  sacra- 
ment and  not  to  the  other,  consistency  requires  of 
the  Baptist  that  he  first  administer  the  Lord's  Sup- 
])er  in  the  mode  in  which  he  admits  that  Christ 
adnii;iistcMcd  if,  ere  ho  demand  of  others  that  they 


SUMMING    UP — CONCLUSION.  213 

administer  baptism  in  that  mode,  alone,  in  wliicli  it 
was  ndmistered  in  Apostolic  times. 

The  conclusion,  in  this  whole  matter,  to  which  we 
come,  is — 

1.  There  is  nothing  in  the  meaning  of  the  word 
haptlzo^  nor  in  the  emblematical  import  of  the  rite 
of  baptism,  to  authorize  the  belief  that  any  particu- 
lar mode  of  applying  the  water  to  the  person  of  the 
baptized,  is  essential  to  the  validity  of  baptism. 

2.  AVhilst  we  cannot  determine,  with  absolute  cer- 
tainty, whether  sprinkling,  pouring  or  immersion, 
was  the  inode  of  baptism  practised  in  the  days  of 
Christ  and  his  Apostles,  immersion  is  the  least  pro- 
bable of  the  three. 

3.  To  require  immersion  in  order  to  admission  to 
the  church  of  God,  is  to  infringe  upon  that  "  liberty 
wherewith  Christ  hath  made  his  people  free,"  and  to 
"  teach  for  doctrine,  the  commandments  of  men.'' 
And  to  exclude  from  the  Lord's  table,  the  Lord's 
people,  because  they  have  not  been  immersed,  is  to 
bring  Tipon  the  soul  the  guilt  of  tlie  sin  of  schism. 


214  THE   MODE   OF   BAPTISM. 


SUPPLEMENT AKY  NOTE. 

THE   PRACTICE   OF   IMJMEKSION   IN   EAKLY   TIMES. 

Baptist  authors,  generally,  attach  a  great  deal  of 
importance  to  the  fact  that  immersion  was  practised 
in  the  Church  at  a  very  early  age.  The  author  of 
the  article  on  "  BajMsm^^^  in  the  Encyclopedia  of 
Religious  Knowledge,  writes :  "  On  this  point  there 
is  overwhelming  evidence.  The  best  ecclesiastical 
historians — Mosheim,  Waddington,  Neander,  &c. — • 
affirm  that  the  practice  of  the  primitive  Church  was 
immersion."  And  this  fact  he  makes  one  of  his  four 
arguments  for  immersion,  the  other  three  being — 
The  meaning  of  the  word  hajytizoj  The  emblematic 
import  of  baptism  ;  and,  The  practice  of  Christ  and 
his  apostles. 

If  by  "  the  primitive  Church"  we  understand  the 
ancient,  as  contradistinguished  from  the  Apostolic 
Church — i.  e.^  the  Church  in  the  third  century,  and 
later — the  coi-rectness  of  the  above  statement  will 


IMMKKSION    IN    EARLY   TIMES.  215 

not  be  called  in  question  by  any  one.  But  why  do 
many  Baptist  writers  keep  back  the  fact,  established 
by  precisely  the  same  authority,  that  this  immer- 
sion was  performed  with  the  person  of  the  baptized 
naked  f 

Dr.  Carson,  in  his  reply  to  Dr.  Miller,  admits  that 
immersion  was  received  naked,,  in  the  third  and 
fourth  centuries,  and  does  not  deny  that  such  was 
the  fact  at  an  earlier  date.  (Carson  on  Baptism,  pp. 
380,  381.) 

The  Baptist  historian,  Robinson,  in  his  "  History 
of  Baptism"  (a  book  written  by  request  of  the  Bap- 
tist ministers  of  .London),  is  more  ingenuous.  His 
words  are :  "  The  primitive  Christians  haptized 
naked.  I^s'othing  is  easier  than  to  give  proof  of  this, 
by  quotations  from  the  authentic  writings  of  men 
who  administered  baptism,  and  who  certainly  knew 
in  what  way  they  themselves  performed  it.  There  is 
no  ancient  historical  fact  hetter  autJumticated  than 
this.  This  evidence  does  not  go  on  the  moaning  of 
the  single  word  naked]  for  then  the  reader  might 
suspect  allegory  ;  but  on  many  facts  reported,  and 
many  reasons  assigned  for  the  practice." 

Wall,  in  his  "History  of  Baptism,"  writes:  "The 
ancient  Christians,  when  they  were  baptized  by  im- 
mersion, were  all  haptized  naked,,  whether  they  were 
men.  women,  or  children.'*^ 


216  thp:  mode  of  baptism. 

As  one  reads  such  statements  as  these,  the  ques- 
tions will  arise — Can  these  things  be  so  ?  Is  there 
not  some  mistake  about  this  matter  ?  Is  it  credible 
that  in  the  East,  where  the  most  rigid  notions  of 
womanly  propriety  have  prevailed  from  time  imme- 
morial, women  received  haptism  naked  f  Is  such  a 
practice  as  this  consistent  with  that  "modesty" 
which  no  book  more  emphatically  than  the  New 
Testament  enjoins  upon  woman  ?  To  these  questions 
we  do  not  hesitate  to  return  the  answer — The  thing 
is  incredible ;  such  a  practice  is  utterly  at  variance 
with  Christian  modesty  in  woman. 

The  true  explanation  of  the  matter,  we  believe,  is 
that  given  by  Taylor,  in  his  "  Facts  and  Evidences," 
viz..  That,  at  an  early  date,  there  was  added  to  the 
simple  baptismal  rite,  as  practised  by  Christ  and  his 
apostles,  a  washing  of  the  whole  body  in  water,  as  a 
preparation  for  the  baptism  proper — just  as  there 
was  added  the  anointing  of  the  body  with  oil,  and 
the  clothing  of  the  pei'son  in  a  white  garment,  as 
rites  following  upon  the  baptism,  at  almost  if  not 
quite  as  early  a  date.  This  preparatory  washing  of 
the  body  was  performed  in  a  bath,  and,  in  the  case 
of  women,  with  none  but  women  present ;  and  this 
it  was  which  was  performed  by  immersion,  and  with 
the  person  naked — •the  baptism  proper  being  after- 


IMMERSION   IN   EAKLT   TIMES.  217 

wards  administered  in  presence  of  the  church,  and 
bj  sprinkling  or  pouring. 

In  support  of  this  exphmation,  we  urge  : 

1.  With  the  peculiar  attachment  of  the  Jewish 
converts  to  the  law  of  Moses,  the  addition  of  an 
abhition,  preparatory  to  baptism,  would  be  one  of 
the  most  natural  changes  which  could  be  made  in 
the  apostolic  rite  of  baptism.  They  regarded  bap- 
tism as,  essentially,  a  purification  ;  and  a  prepara- 
tory washing  was,  in  many  instances,  enjoined  in 
Moses'  law ;  e.  g.,  in  the  cleansing  of  a  leper  (Lev. 
xiv.),  the  cleansing  of  one  having  an  issue  (Lev.  xv.), 
the  cleansings  to  be  effected  by  the  water  of  separa- 
tion (Numb,  xix.) 

2.  There  is  nothing  in  any  of  the  statements  made 
by  ancient  writers,  and  relied  upon  to  prove  the 
early  practice  of  immersion  (in  so  far  as  we  have 
seen),  inconsistent  with  this  explanation,  but  much 
to  favor  it. 

3.  In  the  Abyssinian  Church,  at  the  present  day, 
a  washing  of  the  whole  body,  preparatory  to  bap- 
tism, is  practised,  the  baptism  itself  being  performed 
by  affusion  (See  Taylor's  Facts  and  Evidences,  pp. 
153,  154).  The  Abyssinian  Church  being  that  one 
of  the  ancient  churches  which  has  for  ages  been 
almost  entirely  cut  off  from  all  communication  with 

10 


218  THE   MODE   OF  BAPTISM. 

other  parts  of  the  world,  is,  on  this  account,  the  one 
most  likely  to  have  retained  the  practice  prevailing 
in  early  times. 

4.  The  testimony  of  Epiphanius,  Bishop  of  Con- 
stantia,  who  wrote  during  the  fourth  century,  when 
speaking  of  the  office  of  the  deaconess:  "There  are 
also  deaconesses  in  the  Church  ;  but  this  office  was 
not  instituted  as  a  priestly  function,  nor  has  it  any 
interference  with  priestly  administrations ;  but  it  was 
instituted  for  the  purpose  of  preserving  a  due  regard 
to  the  modesty  of  the  female  sex,  especially  at  the 
time  of  'bajptismal  washing^  and  while  the  jperson  of 
the  woman  is  naked,  that  she  may  not  be  seen  by  the 
men  performing  the  sacred  service,  but  by  her  only 
who  is  appointed  to  take  charge  of  the  woman 
during  the  time  she  was  naked."  (Epiphanius,  as 
quoted  by  Taylor  in  his  "  Facts  and  Evidences,"  p. 
168.) 

We  refer  to  this  matter  here,  not  as  an  argument 
for  baptism  by  sj)rinkling  or  affusion — for  our  pur- 
pose is  to  offer  as  argument  nothing  but  what  the 
Scriptures  themselves  furnish — but, 

1.  That  the  Baptist  argument  from  the  early  prac- 
tice of  the  Church — an  argument  based,  as  we  think, 
upon  a  misapprehension  of  the  facts  recorded — may 
not  prejudice  the  mind  of  the  reader  against  the 
reception  of  Scripture  truth. 


IMMERSION   IN   EABLY   TIMES.  219 

2.  To  show  the  reader  the  way  in  which  immer- 
sion has  come  to  be  substituted  for  sprinkling  or 
pouring,  as  practised  by  the  apostles.     And, 

3.  As  affording  a  strong  incidental  confirmation 
of  the  correctness  of  the  definition  we  have  given  to 
haptizo  when  used  as  a  religious  term,  viz..  to  cleanse 
or  pui'ify. 


PART     III. 

THE    SUBJECTS    OF    BAPTISM. 


THE  SUBJECTS  OF  BAPTISM. 


OHAFTEE    I. 

§  48.  Statement  of  the  Question,  and  of  the  Arguments  relied  on  by  Baptists  and 
Pedo-Baptists. 

To  the  question,  To  whom  is  Christian  baptism  to 
be  administered? 

The  Baptist  replies :  To  such  as  make  a  credible 
profession  of  faith  in  Christ,  and  to  such  onlj. 

The  I^reshi/terian  replies :  "Kot  only  those  that 
do  actually  profess  faith  in  and  obedience  unto 
Christ,  but  also  the  infants  of  one  or  both  believing 
parents  are  to  be  baptized."  (Presbyterian  Confes- 
sion of  Faith,  chap.  28.) 

And  here  we  ask  the  reader  to  notice — 

1.  With  respect  to  the  case  of  adults  who  have 
not  been  baptized  in  infancy,  there  is  no  difference 
of  opinion.     They  are  to  be  baptized  upon  a  credi 


224  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

ble  profession  of  faith  in  Christ  alone.  Such  must 
have  been  the  case  with  all  the  converts  on  the  day 
of  Pentecost,  and  for  some  time  afterwards,  since 
proper  Christian  baptism  was  never  administered 
before  that  time. 

2.  The  only  point,  in  so  far  as  the  subjects  of 
baptism  are  concerned,  on  which  the  Baptist  and 
Presbyterian  differ,  is — Does  the  Word  of  God  teach 
that  Christian  haptism  is  to  he  administered  to 
infant  children^  where  one  or  hoth  the  parents  are 
professed  helievers  f 

The  grounds  upon  which  the  Baptist  seeks  to 
establish  his  position  are — 

1.  The  commission  given  by  Christ  to  his  Church, 
•when  about  to  be  taken  in  bodily  presence  from  his 
disciples,  and  recorded  in  Mark.  xvi.  15,  16.  This 
commission,  he  affirms,  is  given  in  terms  which 
exclude  the  idea  of  the  administration  of  baptism  to 
infants. 

2.  The  import  of  baptism,  as  the  ordinance  is 
explained  in  the  Word  of  God.  This,  he  affirms,  is 
utterly  inconsistent  with  its  administration  to  any 
but  believers. 

The  ai'guments  by  which  we  shall  seek  to  esta- 
blish the  position  assumed  in  the  Presbyterian  Con- 
fession of  Faith,  are : 

1.  Assuming  that  Christian  baptism  is  the  initia- 


STATEMENT   OF   THE   QUESTION.  225 

tory  rite  of  the  Church,  under  the  Christian  dispen- 
sation (and  this  the  Baptist  maintains  as  zealously  as 
we  do),  and  that  infant-membership  in  the  Church 
was  established  of  God,  under  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation  (and  this  we  shall  prove  from  Scrip- 
ture, although  but  few  Baptists  will  deny  it).  We 
shall  attempt  to  show,  1.  That  the  visible  Church  of 
God  has  ever  been  one;  and  consequently,  as  the 
rite  of  infant-membership  in  that  Church  has  not 
been  repealed,  it  must  continue.  And  2.  That  this 
right  of  infant-membership — and  hence,  of  infant- 
baptism — was  expressly  recognized  by  Christ  and 
his  Apostles. 

2.  The  express  mention  made  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment Scriptures,  of  family  baptisms. 

Other  arguments  have  been  adduced,  some  of 
them  of  great  weight,  from  the  experience  of  the 
Church  at  the  present  day,  the  history  of  the 
Church,  especially  in  primitive  times,  and  what  are 
thought  to  be  the  proprieties  of  the  case.  As,  how- 
ever, our  purpose  is  to  give  a  purely  Scriptural  dis- 
cussion of  the  question,  settling  it,  if  at  all,  upon  the 
authority  of  the  Word  of  God,  and  the  Word  of  God 
alone,  we  shall  take  no  notice  of  these  arguments,  as 
ui-ged  on  either  side. 


226  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 


CHAPTEK     II. 

§  46.    Christ's  commission  to  his  Church,  Matt,  xxviii.  19,  20 ;  Mark,  xvi.  15, 16 ; 
Lulie,  xxiv.  47-49. 

§  46.  Matt.  XXYIII. 

Yer.  19.  "Go  ye,  tlierefore,  and  teach  all  nations, 
BAPTIZING  them  in  the  name  of  the  Father, 
and  of  the   Son,   and  of   the   Holy  Ghost ; 

20.  Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things,  whatsoever 
1  have  commanded  you:  and  lo,  I  am  with 
you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world. 
Amen." 

Mar\  XYI. 

Yer.  15.  "And  he  said  unto  them,  Go  ye  into  all  the 
world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  crea- 
ture. 

16.  He  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved  ; 
but  lie  that  believeth  not  shall  be  damned." 


Christ's  commission  to  his  church.         22 1 


Lule,  XXIY. 

Ver.  47.  "  And"  (Jesus  said  unto  them,  v.  46)  "  that 
repentance  and  remission  of  sins  should  be 
preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations,  be- 
ginning at  Jerusalem. 

•iS.  And  ye  are  witnesses  of  these  things. 

49.  And  behold,  I  send  the  promise  of  my  Father 
upon  you  ;  but  tarry  ye  in  the  city  of  Jerusa- 
lem, until  ye  be  endued  with  power  from  on 
high." 

Kemarking  upon  Mark,  xvi.  16.,  Dr.  Carson 
Avrites: — "I  am  willing  to  hang  the  whole  contro- 
versy on  this  passage.  If  I  had  not  another  passage 
in  the  Word  of  God,  I  would  engage  to  refute  my 
opponents  from  the  words  of  this  commission  alone. 
I  will  risk  the  credit  of  my  understanding,  on  my 
success  in  showing  that  according  to  this  commission 
believers  only  are  to  be  baptized,"  ' 

The  Baptist  reasons  upon  this  passage,  thus: 
Baptism  is  here  made  consequent  upon  faith — "  He 
that  helieveth  and  is  haptized  shall  be  saved."  And 
as  no  one  pretends  that  infants  can  exercise  faith  in 

'  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  169. 


228  THE    SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

Christ,  the  faith  here  spoken  of,  this  passage  prohib- 
its their  baptism. 

For  the  jjiirpose  of  bringing  out  distinctly  the 
nature  of  this  argument,  let  us  give  it  the  form  of 
what  logicians  call  a  syllogism. 

"  He  that  helieveth  and  is  haptized  shall  be  saved." 
Says  the  Baptist, 

Syl.  I.  Baptism  is  here  made  consequent  upon  faith. 

Infants  cannot  exercise  faith  ; 
Therefore — Infants  must  not  be  baptized. 

If,  in  our  Lord's  words,  "  He  that  helieveth,  and  is 
baptized,  shall  be  saved;  he  that  helieveth  not,  shall  be 
damned^''  baptism  is  made  consequent  upon  faith,  in 
such  a  sense  as  to  restrict  it  to  those  who  believe, 
upon  precisely  the  same  principles  of  interpretation 
salvation  is  made  consequent  upon  faith,  in  such  a 
sense  as  to  restrict  it  to  those  that  believe,  and  dam- 
nation is  made  consequent  upon  not  believing.  We, 
therefore,  call  upon  the  Baptist,  consistently  to  fol- 
low out  his  principles  of  interpretation,  as  express- 
ed in  the  two  following  syllogisms  : — 

Syl.  II.  Salvation  is  here   made    consequent  upon 

faith.     Infants  cannot  exercise  faith  ; 
Therefore — Infants  cannot  be  saved. 


CHPIST'S   COMMISSION   TO    HIS    CHURCH.  229 

Si/l.  III.  Damnation  is  here  made  consequent  upon 

not  believing.     Infants  do  not  believe. 
Therefore — Infants  must  be  damned. 

And  further  ;  if  in  these  words  of  our  Lord,  bap- 
tism is  made  consequent  upon  faith — upon  the  same 
principles  of  interpretation,  but  more  clearly,  is  sal- 
vation made  consequent  upon  baptism;  since  faith 
and  baptism  are  connected  together  by  the  copula- 
tive "  and,"  and  together  declared  to  be  the  antece- 
dents of  salvation.  We,  therefore,  call  upon  the 
Baptist  to  follow  out  his  principles,  as  expressed  in  a 
fourth  syllogism : — 

Si/l.  lY.  Salvation  is  here  made  consequent  upon 
baptism.  The  Baptist  will  not  baptize  an 
infant. 

Tlierefore — Tlie  Baptist  secures  the  damnation  of 
that  infant. 

Kow,  we  do  not  say  that  the  Baptist  believes  the 
doctrines  embodied  in  syllogisms  11.,  III.,  IV. 
What  we  do  say  is,  that  the  principles  of  interpreta- 
tion, which  would,  in  these  words  of  our  Lord,  give 
him  a  restriction  of  baptism  to  those  exercising  faith, 
shut  him  up  to  these  doctrines.  The  same  logic 
which,  from  these  words,  places  a  bar  in  the  infant's 


230  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

way  to  the  baptismal  fout,  places  a  triple  bar  in  his 
way  to  heaven. 

In  view  of  these  conclusions,  which  the  Baptist 
will  be  as  unwilling  to  admit  as  we,  we  say  to  him — 
There  must  be  some  fault  in  your  logic.  And  this 
fault,  if  we  mistake  not,  lies  just  here.  You  have 
entirely  mistaken  the  true  nature  of  the  commission 
recorded  in  Mark,  xvi.  15,  16.  This  is  not  the  Apos- 
tles' commission,  either  to  preach  or  to  baptize. 
And  we  offer  this  Scriptural  proof  of  our  statement : 

Their  commission  to  j^reach  they  had  received  long 
before.  "  And  he  (Jesus)  goeth  up  into  a  mountain, 
and  calleth  unto  him  whom  he  would,  and  they  came 
unto  him,  and  he  ordained  twelve,  that  they  should 
be  with  him,  and  that  he  might  send  them  forth  to 
preach^^  (Mark,  iii.  13,  11).  "These  twelve  Jesus 
sent  forth,  and  commanded  them,  saying.  Go  not 
into  the  w^ay  of  the  Gentiles,  and  into  any  city  of  the 
Samaritans  enter  ye  not;  but  go  rather  to  the  lost 
sheep  of  the  house  of  Isi*ael,  and  as  ye  go, preach^^ 
(Matt.  X.  5-7).  Here  is  the  commission  to  preach, 
of  those  to  whom  the  words  recorded  in  Mark,  xvi. 
15,  16,  were  addressed.  But  a  commission  to  preach, 
under  cei'tain  restrictions.  "When,  therefore,  the 
Lord  knew  how  the  Pharisees  had  heard  that  Jesus 
made  and  baptized  more  disciples  than  John  (though 
Jesus    himself    baptized    not,    but   his   disciples).''^ 


231 


(John,  iv,  1,  2.)  This  record  refers  to  events  which 
occurred  near  the  commencement  of  onr  Lord's  min- 
istry, and  shortly  after  his  ordination  of  the  twelve, 
as  recorded  in  Mark,  iii.  13,  14.  His  disciples  must 
have  received  authority  to  baptize,  at  this  time,  or 
else  they  were  here  baptizing,  under  the  very  eyes  of 
Jesus,  without  an}^  authority  so  to  do. 

K  the  commission  recorded  in  Mark,  xvi.  15,  16, 
is  not  the  Apostles'  commission  to  preach,  nor  to 
baptize,  the  question  will  be  asked : — What,  then,  is 
it?  "We  answer,  it  is  just  what  it  purports  to  be. 
Having  before  given  them  their  commission  to 
preach  and  baptize,  with  the  restHction  that  they 
"  go  not  in  the  way  of  Gentiles  and  enter  no  city 
of  the  Samaritans,  but  go  to  the  lost  sheep  of  the 
house  of  Israel "  alone,  now  that  all  power  is  given 
unto  him,  in  heaven  and  in  earth"  (Matt,  xxviii.), 
and  by  his  death  he  has  "  broken  down  the  middle 
wall  of  partition"  (Eph.  ii.  14)  between  the  Jew  and 
the  Gentile ;  has  taken  out  of  the  way  "  the  hand- 
writing of  ordinances  which  was  against  us  (Gen- 
tiles), nailing  it  to  his  cross"  (Col.  ii.  14),  he  takes  off 
this  restriction,  and  says — "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world.^ 
and  preach  the  Gospel  to  every  creature^ 

Applying  now  the  principle  of  interpretation  uni- 
versally admitted — that  every  part  of  an  article 
must  be  interpreted  with  an  eye  to  the  scope  and 


232  THE   SUBJECTS   OF  BAPTISM. 

object  of  that  article — we  conclude  that  baptism  is 
mentioned  here,  only  incidentally ;  our  Lord  taking 
it  for  granted  that  his  Apostles  were  already  fully 
instructed  as  to  the  proper  subjects  of  baptism. 

Of  the  correctness  of  this  view  of  the  passage 
under  examination,  the  corresponding  records  in 
Matthew  and  Luke  aiford  the  strongest  confirma- 
tion. In  Luke's  report  of  our  Lord's  words,  the 
subject  of  baptism  is  not  even  formally  mentioned — 
"  And  that  rejtentance  and  remission  of  sins  should 
be  preached  in  his  name  among  all  nations^  begin- 
ning at  Jerusalem."  (Luke  xxiv.  47.)  And  Mat- 
thew's report  is  in  the  words,  "  Go  ye,  therefore, 
and  teach  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name 
of  the  Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  tlie  Holy 
Ghost ;  Teaching  tiiem  to  observe  all  things,  what- 
soever I  have  commanded  youP  (Matt,  xxvii.  19,  20.) 
Here  Christ  expressly  refers  them  to  his  instructions 
previously  given,  as  their  guide  in  the  discliarge  of 
this  very  commission.  What  these  instructions  on 
the  subject  of  baptism  were,  we  shall  inquire  here- 
after.   (See  §§  53,  54.) 

If  we  disregard  this  principle,  that  every  part  of  an 
article  must  be  interpreted  with  an  eye  to  the  scope  and 
import  of  that  article,  we  run  into  all  kinds  of  absurd- 
ties.  In  the  very  passage  under  examination,  Christ 
says,  "  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  gos 


Christ's  commission  to  his  church.         233 

pel  to  every  creature^  Creaiure  is  often  used  in 
the  word  of  God,  as  a  general  term,  including  the 
lower  ordei*s  of  animals  as  well  as  man.  "Will  the 
Eaptist  interpret  this  commission,  so  as  to  cover 
such  preaching  as  that  ascribed,  in  the  Eomish 
legends,  to  St.  Anthony,  viz.  his  preaching  to  the 
fishes  ? 

All  that  our  Saviour  means  to  teach  in  his  words — 
"  lie  that  believeth  and  is  baptized,  shall  be  saved. 
But  he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned" — is  just 
what  his  words,  in  their  most  natural  interpretation, 
seem  to  convey,  viz  ;  That  he  who  does  believe,  and 
is  worthily  baptized,  shall  be  saved  ;  and  then,  to 
mark  faith  as  essential,  and  baptism  as  not  essential 
to  salvation,  he  adds,  reversing  the  form  of  his 
declaration,  "he  that  believeth  not,  shall  be  damned." 
He  is  speaking  of  such,  and  of  such  only,  as  he 
sends  his  disciples  ^oj9?'mcAhis  gospel  to;  the  case 
of  infants  is  in  no  way  referred  to  in  his  declaration 
respecting  either  faith  or  baptism.  If  his  disciples 
are  to  believe  (as  the  Baptists,  in  common  with  our- 
selves, think  they  are,)  that  infants  are  saved  with- 
out faith,  he  has  taught  that  doctrine  on  some  other 
occasion,  and  he  does  not  recall  that  teaching  here. 
If  his  discii)les  are  to  believe  that  intants  may  pro- 
jjerly  be  baptized  without  faith,  he  lias  tauglit  it  on 


234  THE   SUBJECTS   OF  BAPTISM. 

some  other  occasion,  and  he  does  not  recall  that 
teaching  here.  The  two  cases  are  precisely  similar, 
and  our  interpretations  of  them  must  stand  or  fall 
together. 


BAPTISM   AITD   CIECTJMCISION.  235 


CHAPTEE    III. 


§  47.  la  the  import  of  Baptism  inconsistent  with  its  administration  to  Infants  ? 
Acts,  xxii.  16,  and  Deut.  xxx.  6.  Gal.  iii.  2T,  and  Rom.  ii.  28,  29.  1  Cor.  Jrii.  13, 
and  Rom.  iv.  11.    Col.  ii.  12,  and  Col.  ii.  11. 


47. 


Baptist  writers  are  accustomed  to  quote  all  that 
class  of  passages  of  Scripture,  in  which  the  spiritual 
import  of  baptism  is  taught  us,  as  utterly  inconsis- 
tent with  the  idea  of  its  administration  to  infants. 
We  give  below  the  most  important  of  these,  adding 
the  substance  of  Dr.  Carson's  comments  on  them. 
These  we  have  placed  in  the  column  to  the  left.  In 
the  right  hand  column,  we  have  placed  certain 
passages  of  similar  character,  respecting  the  ana- 
logous rite  of  circumcision,  and  added  comments 
of  our  own,  in  Dr.  Carson's  strain  of  Bible  criti- 
cism. 


THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 


CIRCUMCISION, 


Acts  XXII.  16. 

"And  now,  why  tarriest  thou? 
Arise,  and  be  baptized,  and 
wash  away  thy  sins,  calling 
on  the  name  of  the  Lord." 


"Here  we  see  baptism  figura- 
tively washes  away  sins,  and  sup- 
poses that  they  are  previously 
truly  washed  away.  Could  our 
opponents  say  to  the  parents  of 
the  infant  about  to  be  baptized, 
"Arise,  and  wash  away  the  sins 
of  thy  infant?"    Carson,  p.  212. 


Deut.  XXX.  6. 

"  And  the  Lord  thy  God  wiU  cir- 
cumcise thine  heart,  and  the 
heart  of  thy  seed,  to  love 
the  Lord  thy  God  with  all 
thy  soul,  that  thou  mayest 
live." 

Here  we  see  that  circumcision 
represents  in  figure  the  loving  of 
the  Lord  our  God,  with  all  our 
soul.  Could  our  opponents  say 
to  the  parents  of  an  infant  about 
to  be  circumcised — Do  you  de- 
clare that  this  infant  loves  the 
Lord  our  God  with  all  its  soul  ? 


Gal.  III.  27. 

For  as  many  of  you  as  have 
been  baptized  into  Christ, 
have  put  on  Christ." 


Emn.  II.  28,  29. 

For  he  is  not  a  Jew,  which  is 
one  outwardly ;  neither  is 
that  circumcision  which  is 
outward  in  the  flesh :  But  he 
is  a  Jew  which  is  one  in- 
wardly, and  circumcision  is 
that  of  the  heart,  in  the 
spirit,  and  not  in  the  letter : 
whose  praise  is  not  of  men, 
but  of  God." 

'  Nothing  can  be  more  express.        Nothing  can  be  more  express. 


BAPTISM  AND   CIRCUMCISION. 


237 


BAPTISM.  CIRCUMCISION. 

Here  baptism  is  represented   as  Here  circumcision  is  said  to  be 

implying  a  putting  on  of  Christ.  "  of  the  heart,  in  the  spirit,  whose 

Surely  this  is  peculiar  to  believers,  praise  is  not  of  men,  but  of  God." 

Infants  cannot   put   on   Christ."  Infants   cannot   be  thus  circum- 

Carson,  p.  213.  cised. 


1  Cor.  XII.  13. 


Rom.  IV.  11. 


Tor  by  one  Spirit  are  we   all     "And  he  received  the  sign  of 


BAPTIZED  into  one  body,  whe- 
ther we  be  Jews  or  Gentiles, 
whether  we  be  bond  or  free; 
and  have  been  all  made  to 
drink  into  one  Spirit." 


circumcision,  a  seal  of  the 
righteousness  of  the  faith 
which  he  had,  being  yet  un- 
circumcised,  that  he  might 
be  the  father  of  all  them 
that  believe." 


"They  who  are  baptized,  are 
here  supposed  to  belong  already 
to  the  body  of  Christ;  and  for 
this  reason  they  are  baptized  into 
it.  None  are  here  supposed  to 
be  baptized  upon  the  expectation, 
or  probability,  or  possibiUty  that 
they  may  yet  belong  to  that 
body.  They  are  baptized  into 
the  body."     Carson,  pp.  212,  213. 


Here  circumcision  is  said  to  be 
the  seal  of  the  righteousness  of  a 
faith  already  possessed  by  the 
one  circumcised;  not  a  seal  of 
the  expectation,  or  probability, 
or  possibility  of  that  person's  be- 
lieving at  some  future  day. 


Col.  II.  12. 


Col.  II.  11. 


'Buried  with  him  in  baptism, 
wherein  also  ye  are  risen 
with  him  through  the  faith 


In  whom  also  ye  are  circum- 
cised, with  the  circumcision 
made  without  hands,  in  put- 


238 


THE   BtTBJECTS   OF  BAPTISM. 


of  the  operation  of  God,  who 
raised  him  from  the  dead."' 


"Here  baptism  is  explained  in 
a  sense  which  suits  believers  only." 
They  who  are  baptized  "are  view- 
ed as  already  risen  with  him 
through  faith.  Can  anything  be 
more  express  than  this?  Are 
infants  risen  with  Christ  through 
faith  of  the  operation  of  God? 
If  not,  they  are  not  among  the 
number  of  those  that  were  bap- 
tized."   Carson,  p.  212. 


CIRCUMCISION. 

ting  off  the  body  of  the  sins 
of  the  flesh,  by  the  circum- 
cision of  Christ." 

Here  the  circumcised  are  viewed 
as  in  their  circumcision,  putting 
off  the  body  of  the  sins  of  the 
flesh.  Can  anything  be  more 
express  than  this?  Was  it  true 
of  infants,  when  presented  by 
their  parents,  at  eight  days  old, 
that  they  had  put  off  the  body  of 
the  sins  of  the  flesh?  If  not, 
then  must  we  conclude  that  they 
had  no  right  to  be  counted  among 
the  number  of  the  circumcised. 


And  tlius  we  might  go  on,  quoting  passage  for 
passage  with  the  Baptist;  for  just  as  explicitly  as 
the  Scriptures  teach  us  the  Spiritual  import  of  bap- 
tism, just  so  explicitly  do  they  teach  a  similar  truth 
respecting  circumcision.  In  no  way  could  this  be 
more  clearly  set  forth  than  in  Col.  ii.  11, 12,  the  two 
passages  last  quoted,  in  which  Paul  makes  use  of 
the  known  and  acknowledged  spiritual  import  of  the 
earlier  rite,  circumcision.,  to  illustrate  that  of  the 
later,  haptism.  And  to  mark  their  identity,  in  this 
particular,  the  more  clearly,  he  calls  baptism  "  the 
circumcision  of  Christ,"  or  Christian  circumcision. 


BAPTISM   A^B   CIRCUMCISION.  239 

The  very  same  course  of  reasoning,  then,  which 
from  the  passages  of  Scripture  teaching  the  spiritual 
import  of  baptism,  would  give  us  a  prohibition  of 
infant  baptism ;  will,  when  applied  to  passages  of 
similar  import  respecting  circumcision,  give  us  as 
positive  a  prohibition  of  infant  circumcision.  And 
yet,  there  is  nothing  clearer  from  Scripture,  than 
that  circumcision  was,  by  God's  direction,  adminis- 
tered to  the  child  eight  days  old  (see  Gen.  xvii.  12). 
Here,  then,  as  in  the  case  of  our  Lord 's  words,  re- 
corded in  Mark,  xvi.  16)  we  say  to  the  Baptist — 
Your  argument  proves  too  much,  since  it  proves 
that  which  no  man,  with  the  "Word  of  God  in  his 
hands,  can  admit  to  be  true.  There  must,  then,  be 
some  fault  in  that  argument. 

That  we  may  see  just  where  the  fallacy  in  the 
Baptist's  argument  lies,  let  us  ask  the  question.  On 
what  principle  was  circumcision — a  rite  symbolizing 
regeneration,  "  the  putting  off  of  the  body  of  the 
sins  of  the  flesh,"  that  change  of  heart,  in  conse- 
quence of  which  we  "  love  the  Lord  our  God  with 
all  our  soul,  that  we  may  live" — administered  to 
infants  ? 

To  this  question,  we  answer : 

1.  Circumcision,  viewed  as  a  symbolic  rite,  simply 
exhibited  grace  ;  did  not  confer  it.  The  doctrine  of 
circumcisional  regeneration,  like  the  analogous  doc- 


240  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

trine  of  baptismal  regeneration,  is  a  doctrine  which 
finds  no  support  from  the  AVord  of  God.  Now, 
grace  may  be  exhibted,  either  (J),  as  something  act ic- 
tually  bestowed  of  God  ;  or  (2),  as  sometliing  hrought 
near,  by  God's  covenant  relation  to  the  recijjient 
of  the  rite.  To  Abraham,  circumcision  was  "  the 
seal  of  the  righteousness  of  the  faith  which  he  had, 
yet  being  uncircumcised,"  i.  e.  of  righteousness  by 
faith,  in  actual  possession.  To  Isaac,  circumcised 
when  eight  days  old  (Gen.  xxi.  4),  it  was,  from  the 
first  dawn  of  his  intelligent  moral  agency,  a  seal,  or 
certification,  of  God's  peculiar  willingness  to  bestow 
upon  him  that  same  "righteousness  of  faith"  by 
which  his  father  Abraham  was  justified.  And  who 
w^ill  venture  to  say  that  this  rite,  in  its  symbolic  im- 
port, was  of  less  practical  importance  to  Isaac  than  it 
was  to  Abraham  ? 

2.  Yiewing  circumcision  as  sealing  or  certifying 
an  obligation  on  the  part  of  the  recipient;  to 
Abraham,  it  was  a  seal  of  his  obligation  to  "  put  ofi* 
the  body  of  the  sins  of  the  fiesh,"  to  walk  by  faith 
before  God,  an  obligation  which  he  had  personally 
acknowledged  in  his  reception  of  the  rite.  JS^ot  an 
obligation  created  by  his  reception  of  the  rite,  for 
the  obligation  is  one  growing  out  of  Abraham's  po- 
sition as  a  sinner,  placed  under  a  dispensation  of 
grace ;    and    viewed    simply   as   an    obligation,    it 


BAPTISM    AND    CIRCUMCISION.  24:1 

would  have  been  perfect  had  no  rite  been  given  as 
a  certification  thei-eto.  Jn  his  circumcision,  he  had 
personally  acknowledged  that  obligation,  and  thus 
rendered  it  the  more  solemnly  binding  upon  him. 
To  Isaac,  it  was  a  seal  or  certification  of  this  same 
obligation,  to  walk  by  faith  before  God ;  an  obliga- 
tion which  rested  upon  him  as  it  did  upon  his  father 
Abraham,  as  a  sinner  placed  under  a  dispensation  of 
grace,  and  an  obligation  which  his  believing  father, 
by  God's  direction,  acknowledged  on  his  behalf. 
And  who  shall  say  that  circumcision,  viewed  in  this 
aspect  of  it,  was  of  less  importance  in  the  one  case 
than  in  the  other. 

The  fallacy  in  reasoning  from  the  passages  of 
Scripture  which  teach  the  spiritual  import  of  circum- 
cision, in  such  a  way  as  to  prohibit  its  administration 
to  infants,  lies, 

1.  In  the  groundless  assumption  that  grace  can  be 
exhibited  only  as  grace  hestowed j  whereas  God 
chooses  to  exhibit  it  as  grace  hrought  near,  or  ready 
to  he  hestowed,  also  :  the  groundless  assumption  that 
a  seal  can  be  affixed  to  a  deed  only  ;  whereas  God 
chooses  (and  men,  in  the  ordinary  business  of  lifCy 
act  in  the  same  way)  to  affix  his  seal  to  promises  as 
well  as  deeds. 

2.  In  the  unscriptural  idea,  that  circumcision 
created  the  obligation  to  walk  by  faith,  whereas  it 

11 


242  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

was  simply  a  public  achnowledgment  of  an  obligation 
already  existing,  and  growing  immediately  out  of 
man's  relation  to  God,  as  a  sinner  placed  under  a 
dispensation  of  grace.  Of  just  the  same  character 
is  the  fallacy  of  the  Baptist's  reasoning  from  a  simi- 
lar class  of  passages  respecting  baptism,  "  the  cir- 
cumcision of  Christ." 

And  here,  let  us  correct  the  error  into  which 
many  Baptist  writers  have  fallen  respecting  the  na- 
ture of  circumcision  : 

1.  In  representing  it  as  belonging  to  the  politico- 
ecclesiastical  state  of  the  Jews.  Circumcision  was 
given  of  God  to  Abraham,  four  hundred  and  thirty 
years  before  the  politico-ecclesiastical  state  of  the 
Jews  was  established ;  and  was  given  for  the  confirma- 
tion of  a  promise,  in  which  we  Christian  Gentiles  have 
as  direct  and  deep  an  interest  as  ever  had  a  Jew. 
"Now,  to  Abraham  and  Ms  seecV  (subsequently  ex- 
plained by  Paul,  in  the  words — "And  if  ye  be 
Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and  heirs  ac- 
cording to  the  promise"  v.  29)  "  were  the  j)romises 
made.  And  this  I  say,  that  the  covenant  that  was 
cou firmed  before  of  God  in  Christ,  the  law  which 
was  four  hundred  and  thirty  years  after,  cannot  dis- 
annul, that  it  should  make  the  promise  of  none 
effect."     (Gal.  iii.  16,  lY.) 

2.  In  representing  it  as  intended  to  be  a  mark  of 


BAPTISM   AND   CIRCUMCISION.  •       243 

natural  descent  and  temporal  privileges,  rather  than 
of  a  religious  relation.  In  proof  of  this,  we  are  told 
that  the  Ishmaelites  and  Edomites  were  circumcised. 
"  The  Ishmaelites  and  Edomites  were  apostates  from 
the  faith  of  Abraham.  And  will  it  be  pretended 
that  the  abuse  of  circumcision  by  apostates,  proves 
that  it  was  not  the  initiatory  rite  of  the  Church  ? 
Why  not  argue  that  since  Mormons  practise  bap- 
tism, and  yet  do  not  enter  into  the  Christian  church, 
baptism  cannot  be  an  initiatory  rite." '  And  what 
clearer  proof  can  we  have  that  circumcision  was  not 
intended  as  a  mark  of  natural  descent,  than  the  fact 
that  by  God's  appointment  the  Gentile  proselyte  was 
circumcised  as  well  as  the  Jew  ?  "  And  when  a 
stranger  shall  sojourn  with  thee,  and  will  keep  the 
Passover  to  the  Lord,  let  all  his  males  be  circum- 
cised, and  then  let  him  come  near  and  keep  it ;  and 
he  shall  be  as  one  that  is  born  in  the  land ;  for  no 
uncircumcised  person  shall  eat  thereof."  (Ex.  xii.  48.) 
And  now,  we  ask — Shall  we  accept  as  proof  of 
the  "  mind  of  the  spirit,"  that  baptism,  under  the 
new  dispensation,  shall  not  be  administered  to  in- 
fants, an  argument  which  proves  at  the  same  time, 
and  just  as  decisively,  that  circumcision  was  not  to 
be  administered  to  infants  under  the  Old  Testament 
dispensation,  when  God  from  heaven  has  said,  and 

'  N.  L.  Rice  on  Baptism,  p.  220. 


2:1:4:  THE    SITBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

placed  it  upon  record  before  onr  eyes,  "  He  that  is 
eight  days  old  shall  be  circumcised  among  you — the 
imcircunicised  man-child  shall  be  cut  off  from  his 
people  ;  he  hath  broken  my  coyenant."  (Gen.  xvii. 
13,  14. 


ESSENTIAL  CIIAKACTKK  OF  THE  VISIBLK  CHURCH.    245 


CHAPTER    lY 


THE   CHUECH. 


§  48.  Essential  Character  of  the  visible  Church.    §  49.  Nature  of  Church  Mem- 
bership. 

Having  completed  our  examination  of  the  argu- 
ments (in  so  far  as  they  are  arguments  from  the 
Scriptures),  urged  against  infant  baptism — before 
turning  to  the  particular  examination  of  the  argu- 
ments on  the  o^:iier  side,  and  as  preparatory  to  such 
examination,  we  ask  the  reader's  attention  to  what 
the  Word  of  God  teaches  us,  respecting  the  essential 
character  of  the  visible  Church,  and  what  is  imj^lied 
in  Church  membership.  And  here  we  insist  the  more 
strenuously  upon  a  direct  appeal  to  the  Word  of 
God,  because,  if  we  mistake  not,  unscriptural  notions 
on  these  points  are  entertained  even  by  many  mem- 
bers of  Pedo-Baptist  churches. 


§  48.   The  essential  Character  of  the  vislUe  Church, 

The  visible  Church  has,  from  its  first  institution, 
possessed  the  cliaiacter  of  a  school. 


246  THE   SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISMS. 

"  What  advantage,  then,"  writes  Panl,  "  hath  tlie 
Jew?  Or  what  profit  is  there  of  circumcision?  Much 
every  way :  chiejlij^  because  that  unto  them  were 
committed  the  oracles  of  God."  (Eom.  iii.  1,  2,)  i.  e. 
the  Holy  Scrij^tnres. 

For  what  purpose  were  these  "  oracles  of  God  " 
committed  unto  the  circumcised — the  Old  Testament 
Church  ?  Let  the  Scriptures  answer.  God  says : 
"  Seeing  that  Abraham  shall  surely  become  a  great 
and  mighty  nation,  and  all  the  nations  of  the  earth 
shall  be  blessed  in  him.  For  I  know  him,  that  he 
will  command  his  children  and  his  household  after 
him,  and  they  shall  keep  the  way  of  the  Lord,  to  do 
justice  and  judgment,  that  the  Lord  may  bring 
upon  Abraham  that  which  he  hath  spoken  of  him." 
(Gen.  xviii.  18,  19.)  By  Moses  God  gives  direc- 
tion to  Israel :  "  And  these  words  which  I  command 
thee  this  day,  shall  be  in  thy  heart :  And  thou  shalt 
teach  them  diligently  to  thy  children,  and  shalt  talk 
of  them  when  thou  sittest  in  thy  house,  and  when 
thou  walkest  by  the  way,  and  when  thou  liest  down, 
and  when  thou  risest  up.  And  thou  shalt  bind 
them  for  a  sign  upon  thy  hand,  and  they  shall  be  as 
frontlets  between  thine  eyes.  And  thou  shalt  write 
them  upon  the  posts  of  thy  house,  and  on  thy  gates." 
(Deut,  vi.  6-9.)  Can  any  one  doubt  that  under  the 
Old  Testament  dispensation,  the  visible  Church  was 


NATURE  OF  CHUKCH  MEMBERSHIP.       247 

a  school,  in  wliicli  disciples  were  to  be  trained  for 
Heaven ;  or  that,  by  God's  direction,  these  disciples 
— scholars — were  to  be  entered  in  this  school  in  ear- 
liest childhood  ? 

Under  the  New  Testament  dispensation,  the  visi- 
ble Church  retains  this  same  character.  "Go  ye, 
therefore,  and  teach  {i.  e.  make  disciples — scholars — 
of)  all  nations,  baptizing  them  in  the  name  of  the 
Father,  and  of  the  Son,  and  of  the  Holy  Ghost; 
Teaching  them  to  observe  all  things,  whatsoever  I 
have  commanded  you ;  and  lo,  I  am  with  you 
always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world."  (Matt, 
xxviii.  19,  20.)  Such  is  the  commission  of  the 
Church,  as  given  by  her  Lord  and  Master  himself. 
So  plainly  is  this  set  forth  as  the  great  office  of  the 
Church,  in  these  words,  that  on  this  point  all  Pro- 
testant commentators  agree. 


§  49.  Natti/re  of  Chwch  Memhersh/lp, 

The  visible  Church  being,  by  God's  appointment, 
his  school,  the  essential  right  of  membership — the 
only  right  which  is  necessarily  implied  in  affirming 
the  Church  membership  of  a  person — is  the  right  to 
instruction  "in  all  things  which  God  hath  com- 
manded."    There   are   other  rights  and  privileges 


213  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

wliicli  may  belong  to  members  of  tlie  Church  upon 
certain  conditions,  and  these  may  be  spoken  of 
(when  speaking  loosely)  as  rights  of  membership. 
But  the  right  to  instruction,  and  what  is  necessarily 
implied  in  it,  can  alone  be  regarded  as  an  essential 
right  of  membershiiD, 

This  whole  subject  may  be  illustrated  by  the 
rights  of  citizenship  under  a  civil  government.  As 
a  citizen  of  the  United  States,  I  am  entitled  to  the 
protection  of  my  country  against  illegal  or  unjust 
oppression,  both  at  home  and  abroad.  As  a  free 
male  citizen,  over  twenty-one  years  of  age,  I  am 
entitled  to  vote  in  the  election  of  tliose  who  are  to 
be  my  civil  rulers ;  and  both  of  these  rights  are 
often  spoken  of  as  rights  of  citizenship.  My  infant 
child,  from  the  hour  of  its  birth,  is  as  truly  a  citizen 
of  the  United  States  as  I  am,  and  all  the  rights 
which  are  essential  to  citizenship  must  belong  to  it. 
Let  any  one,  at  liome  or  abroad,  attempt  to  oppress 
that  child,  and  the  civil  government  is  bound  to 
interpose  for  its  protection,  and  secure  to  it  the 
enjoyment  of  its  rights.  Yet  that  child,  if  a  female, 
will  never  be  entitled  to  vote ;  and  if  a  male,  not 
until  twenty-one  years  of  age.  Civil  government  is 
an  institution  for  securing  its  subject  in  the  enjoy- 
ment of  his  rights  ;  and  hence  the  right  to  protection 
is  the  essential  right  of  citizenship.     The  right  to 


NATURE    OF    CHURCH    MKMBKRSHIP.  240 

vote,  althongli  often  spoken  of  as  a  riglit  of  citizen- 
ship (wlien  speaking  loosely)  is,  in  fact,  a  riglit 
■\vliicli  belongs  to  a  citizen,  npon  certain  conditions, 
which  are  prescribed  in  the  Constitution  of  the 
country ;  and  a  person  to  whom  that  right  is  denied 
{my  infant  child,  for  example),  maj  be  as  truly  a 
citizen  as  one  to  whom  that  right  is  granted. 

Just  so  in  the  visible  Church.  As  a  member  of 
tliat  Church,  I  am  entitled  to  be  "  taught  all  things 
whatsoever  Christ  hath  commanded."  As  a  believ- 
ing member,  I  am  entitled  to  a  place  at  the  Lord's 
table.  This  latter  right  is  often  spoken  of  as  a  right 
of  membership,  just  as  a  right  to  vote  is  often 
spoken  of  as  a  right  of  citizenship.  Yet,  in  fact,  it  is 
a  right  belonging  to  members  upon  certain  condi- 
tions only — conditions  prescribed  in  the  Word  of 
God.  "Faith  to  discern  the  Lord's  body"  (1  Cor. 
xi.  29)  is  declared  to  be  essential  to  a  right  partici- 
pation in  the  Lord's  supper;  and  until  a  member  of 
the  Church  gives  credible  evidence  of  the  possession 
of  such  faith,  he  cannot  claim  a  place  at  the  Lord's 
table,  in  virtue  of  his  membership,  any  more  than 
my  infant  child  can  claim  a  right  to  vote  in  virtue 
of  his  citizenship. 

As  already  remarked,  the  essential  right  of  church 
meniberhsip  is  the  righj;  to  instruction  "  in  all  things 
whatsoever  Christ  hath  commanded."  Hence,  in 
11* 


250  THE    STJBJECTS    OF    BAPTISM. 

admitting  an  infant  by  baptism.,  we  require  the 
parent,  already  a  believing  member  of  that  Clmrch, 
to  covenant  with  God  and  with  his  Church, 
that  he  "  will  teach  the  child  to  read  God's  Word ; 
that  he  will  instruct  it  in  the  principles  of  our  holy 
religion,  as  contained  in  the  Scriptures  of  the  Old 
and  New  Testaments ;  that  he  will  set  an  example 
of  piety  and  godliness  before  it ;  and  endeavor,  by 
all  the  means  of  God's  appointment,  to  bring  up  the 
child  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord," 
(Presbyterian  Directory  for  "Worship,  chap,  vii.)  In 
the  first  instance,  the  religious  instruction  of  the 
infant  member  is  committed  to  the  believing  parent, 
in  baptism,  recognized  as  the  representative  of  the 
Church,  in  his  entering  into  a  covenant  with  that 
Church :  but  in  the  case  of  the  removal  of  the 
believing  parent  by  death,  then  the  duty  of  "  teach- 
ing the  child  all  things  whatsoever  Christ  hath 
commanded,"  devolves  upon  the  Church,  and  the 
Church  is  bound  to  see  to  its  instruction. 

By  neglecting  the  obvious  distinction  between  the 
Church  visible  and  the  Church  spiritual,  and  apply- 
ing what  in  Scripture  is  said  of  the  latter  to  the  for- 
mer. Baptist  writers  would  make  the  Church  visible 
to  consist  of  believers  only.  Certainly  such  was  not 
the  case  under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation  :  nor 
do    the    Scriptures    give    any    countenance    to    the 


NATURE   OF   CHtTRCH    MEMBERSHIP.  251 

attempt  to  make  a  change  in  this  particular.  The 
visible  Church  of  Christ,  according  to  his  own  decla- 
ration, "  is  as  a  net,  which  was  cast  into  the  sea,  and 
gathered  of  every  kind ;  which,  when  it  was  full, 
they  drew  to  shore,  and  sat  down,  and  gathered  the 
good  into  vessels,  but  cast  the  bad  away."  (Matt, 
xiii.  47,  48.) 


252  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 


CHAPTER     Y. 

EELATION     OF    THE    CHUKCH    UNDER   THE   NEW   TO   THAT 
UNDER   THE  OLD  TESTAMENT  DISPENSATION. 

§  50.  The  Charter  of  the  Church  unchanged.  §  51.  Scriptural  representations. 
§  52.  The  first  Christian  Church  but  the  Old  Testament  Church  purged  of  the 
Apostasy. 

§  50.  The  Charter  of  the  Church  unchanged. 

The  visible  Church  first  assumed,  distinctly,  its 
form  as  a  Church  (i.  e.  a  sealed  company,  separated 
from  the  world)  under  the  operation  of  God's  cov- 
enant with  Abraham.  "  Before  this  time,  the 
Church  of  God  had  existed  in  the  patriarchal  form. 
Every  pious  family  was  a  little  Church,  of  which  the 
father  was  the  ofiiciating  priest.  By  him  the  morn- 
ing and  evening  sacrifices  were  ofi^ered  ;  and  he  led 
the  family  devotions.  Thus,  we  find  that  Abram, 
wherever  he  spent  a  night,  built  an  altar  and  called 
upon  the  name  of  the  Lord.  And  as  every  pious 
family  was  a  little  Church,   so  were  the  children 


CHAKTER  OF  THE  CHURCH  UNCHANGED.     253 

members  of  that  Clinrcli,  trained  by  the  father  for 
God's  service."  *  But  it  was  under  the  operation  of 
God's  covenant  with  Abraham,  that  tlie  visible 
Church  first  assumed,  distinctly,  its  form  as  a  Chui-ch. 

That  covenant  is  recorded  in  Gen.  xvii.  4^8.  "  As 
for  me,  behold  my  covenant  is  with  thee,  and  thou 
shalt  be  the  father  of  many  nations.  Neither  shall 
thy  name  any  more  be  called  Abram,  but  thy  name 
shall  be  Abraham  ;  for  a  father  of  many  nations 
have  I  made  thee.  And  I  will  make  thee  exceed- 
ing fruitful,  and  I  will  make  nations  of  thee  ;  and 
kings  shall  come  out  of  thee.  And  I  will  establish 
my  covenant  between  me  and  thee,  and  thy  seed 
after  thee,  in  their  generations,  for  an  everlasting 
covenant ;  to  be  a  God  unto  thee  and  to  thy  seed 
after  thee.  And  I  will  give  unto  thee  and  thy  seed 
after  thee,  the  land  wherein  thou  art  a  stranger,  all 
the  land  of  Canaan,  for  an  everlasting  possession ; 
and  I  will  be  their  God." 

This  covenant  is  a  record,  at  once,  of  God  's  prom- 
ises to  his  Church,  and  of  that  Church's  obligations. 
In  some  of  its  particulars,  its  promises  and  obliga- 
tions are  addressed  to  Abraham's  descendants 
through  Isaac  : — But  understo(xl  as  we  are  taught  in 
God's  words  to  interpret  its  terms,  and  as  the  men  of 
faith  in  every  age  have  understood  it,  from  the  time 

*N.  L.  Rice  on  Baptism,  p.  213. 


254  TKE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

that  Abraham,  having  "  seen  the  promises  afar  off, 
embraced  them,  and  confessed  that  he  was  a  stranger 
and  a  pilgrim  on  the  earth,  and  desired  a  better 
country,  that  is  a  heavenly  "  (Heb.  xi.  13,  16),  this 
covenant,  in  all  its  great  promises  and  obligations, 
has  constituted  the  charter  of  the  Church  of  God. 

This  truth  is  presented  to  us  in  many  forms  in  the 
New  Testament  Scriptures.  "  Youi-  father  Abraham 
rejoiced  to  see  my  day,"  says  Christ,  "  and  he  saw 
it,  and  was  glad"  (John,  viii.  66).  "Know  ye, 
therefore,"  writes  Paul,  "  that  they  which  are  of  faith, 
the  same  are  the  children  of  Abraham.  And  the 
Scriptures,  foreseeing  that  God  would  justify  the 
heathen  through  faith,  preached  before  the  Gospel 
unto  Abraham,  saying,  In  thee  shall  all  nations  be 
blessed.  So,  then,  they  which  be  of  faith  are  bless- 
ed with  faithful  Abraham.  For  ye  are  all  the  chil- 
dren of  God,  by  faith  in  Christ  Jesus.  For  as  many 
of  you  as  have  been  baptized  into  Christ,  have  put 
on  Christ.  There  is  neither  Jew  nor  Greek,  there  is 
neither  bond  nor  free,  there  is  neither  male  nor  fe- 
male :  for  ye  are  all  one  in  Christ  Jesus.  And  if 
ye  be  Christ's,  then  are  ye  Abraham's  seed,  and 
heirs  according  to  the  jy^omise''''  (Gal.  iii.  7-9,  26-29). 
Christians  are  never  called  the  children  of  Enoch, 
of  Noah,  of  David,  or  of  any  other  eminent  believer, 
but   they  are  called    "  children  of  Abraham "  and 


CHARTER   OF   THE   CITCTRCH    UNCHANGED.  255 

"  x\.braham's  seed."  Evidently,  therefore,  they  sus- 
tain to  liini  a  peculiar  relation.  What  constitutes 
tliis  relation?  I  answer,  the  covenant  into  which 
God  entered  with  Abraham,  to  which  Paul  refers  in 
the  passage  just  quoted,  Christians  are  "heirs  ac- 
cording to  the  promise." ' 

This  matter  Faiil  argues  at  some  length,  in  his 
Epistle  to  the  Eomans.  "  And  he  (Abraham)  received, 
the  sign  of  circumcision,  a  seal  of  the  righteous- 
ness of  the  faith  which  he  liad,  yet  being  uncircura- 
cised  ;  that  he  might  be  the  father  of  all  them  that 
'believe^  though  they  be  not  circumcised,  that  right- 
eousness might  be  imputed  unto  them  also  ;  and  the 
father  of  the  circumcision  to  them  who  are  not  of  the 
circumcision  only,  but  who  also  walk  in  the  steps  of 
that  faith  of  our  father  Abraham,  which  he  had,  being 
yet  uncircumcised.  For  the  promise  that  he  should 
be  the  heir  of  the  world,  w\as  not  to  Abraham  or  his 
seed,  through  the  law,  but  through  the  righteousness 
of  faith.  Therefore,  it  is  of  faith,  that  it  might  be  by 
grace  ;  to  the  end  the  promise  might  be  sure  to  all 
the  seed :  not  to  that  only  which  is  of  the  law,  hut  to 
that  also  which  is- of  the  faith  of  Abraham,  who  is 
tlie  father  of  us  all :  (as  it  is  written,  I  have  made 
thee  a  father  of  many  nations)  before  him  whom  he 
believed,   even  God,  who  quickeneth  the  dead,  and 

'  N.  L.  Rice  on  Baptism,  p.  196. 


256  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

calletli  tlie  tilings  wliich  be  not  as  tliongh  tliey  were. 
Tliej  Avliicli  are  the  children  of  the  flesh,  these  are 
not  the  cliildren  of  God ;  but  the  children  of  the 
jpromise^  are  counted  for  the  seed^  (Rom.  iv.  11-13, 
16,  17 ;  ix.  8.) 

After  reading  such  expositions  of  God's  covenant 
as  these,  can  any  one  doubt  that  it  is  in  fulfillment 
of  God's  promise  to  Abraham,  that  he  should  be 
"  the  father  of  many  nations,'''  "  the  heir  of  the 
world^''  the  Churcli  received  her  great  commission, 
"  Go  ye  into  all  the  world,  and  preach  the  Gospel  to 
every  creature  (Mark,  xvi.  15)?  Is  the  promise 
which  accompanied  that  commission,  "  Lo,  I  am  with 
you  always,  even  unto  the  end  of  the  world"  (Matt, 
xxviii,  20),  anything  else  than  the  promise  of  that 
covenant,  "  I  will  establish  my  covenant  between 
me  and  thee,  for  an  everlasting  covenant,  to  he  a  God 
unto  thee  and  thy  seed  after  thee  ?"     (Gen.  xvii.  7.) 

Hence,  we  say,  this  covenant  of  God  with  Abra- 
ham, according  to  the  plain  representations  of  Scrip- 
ture, is  as  truly  the  charter  of  the  Church,  i.  e.  the 
written  instrument,  declaring  the  privileges  and  ob- 
ligations of  the  Church  now,  as  it  ever  was  under 
the  Old  Testament  dispensation.  And  those  that 
become  Christ's  do  thereby  become  "Abraham's 
seed  according  to  the  promise,"  in  what  has  ever 
been  the  true  sense  of  that  promise. 


SCRIPTURAL   REPRESENTATIONS.  257 


§  51,  Scriptural  Representations. 

From  ainong  many  Scriptural  representations  of 
the  nature  of  the  change  which  took  pLace  in  the 
visible  Church,  in  the  days  of  Christ  and  his  Apos- 
tles, we  will  ask  the  reader's  attention  to  two  only : 
one  from  Paul's  Epistle  to  the  Romans,  the  other 
from  his  Epistle  to  the  Ephesians. 

Eomans,  xi.  18-26.  Yer.  18.  "Boast  not  against  the 
branches.  But  if  thou  boast,  thou  bearest  not 
the  root,  but  the  root  thee. 

19.  Thou  wilt  say  then.  The  branches  were  broken 

off,  that  I  might  be  graffed  in. 

20.  Well ;    because  of  unbelief,  they  were  broken 

off,  and  thou  standest  by  faith.     Be  not  high- 
minded,  but  fear : 

21.  For  if  God  spared  not  the  natural  branches,  take 

heed  lest  he  also  spare  not  thee. 

22.  Behold,  therefore,  the  goodness  and  severity  of 

God ;     on    them    which    fell,    severity ;    but 
toward  thee,  goodness,  if  thou  continue  in  his 
goodness :    otherwise  thou  also  shalt  be  cut 
off. 
2P>.  And  they  also,  if  they  abide  not  still  in  unbelief, 


258  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

shall  be  graffed  in :  for  God  is  able  to 
them  in  again. 

24.  For  if  thou  wert  cut  out  of  the  olive  tree  which 

is  wild  by  nature,  and  wert  graffed  contrary 
to  nature  into  a  good  olive  tree,  how  much 
more  shall  these,  which  be  the  natural 
branches,  be  graffed  into  their  own  olive 
tree. 

25.  For  I  would  not,  brethren,  that  ye  should  be 

ignorant  of  this  mystery  (lest  ye  should  be 
wise  in  your  own  conceits)  that  blindness  in 
part  is  happened  to  Israel,  until  the  fullness 
of  the  Gentiles  be  come  in. 

26.  And  so,  all  Israel  shall  be  saved." 

In  this  passage,  by  "  the  wild  "  and  "  good  olive 
trees,"  the  Apostle  cannot  mean  the  natural  state  of 
the  parties  before  God ;  for  he  has  fully  proved,  in 
a  previous  part  of  this  epistle,  that  in  this  respect, 
between  the  Jew  and  the  Gentile,  there  is  no  differ- 
ence. JSTeither  can  he  mean,  by  the  "good  olive 
tree,"  the  jyolitico-ecclesiastical  state  established  in 
the  time  of  Moses ;  for  that  was  then  "  vanishing 
away ;"  and  none  more  zealously  than  Paul  resisted 
every  attempt  of  Judaizing  teachers,  to  lay  its  yoke 
upon  the  Gentiles.  !N"or  can  the  "  good  olive  tree  " 
mean  the  true  spiTitual  Church  of  G<>d ;  for,  from 


SCRIPTURAL  REPRESENTATIONS.        259 

that,  tliese  Jews  were  not  cut  off,  for  the  simple 
reason  that  they  were  never  members  of  it,  as  our 
Lord  teaches  in  his  words:  "If  ye  were  Abra- 
ham's children,  ye  would  do  the  works  of  Abraham. 
But  now  ye  seek  to  kill  me,  a  man  that  hath  told 
you  the  truth,  which  I  have  heard  of  God :  this  did 
not  Abraham.  Ye  are  of  your  father  the  devil,  and 
the  lusts  of  your  father  ye  will  do."  (John,  viii.  39, 
40,  U. 

By  the  " good  olive  tree,-'  Paul  can  mean  nothing 
but  the  visible  ClmrcTi.  And  what  says  he  of  it? 
That  the  "  good  olive  tree  "  was  cut  down  or  rooted 
up?  That  it  had  withered,  trunk  and  branch,  or 
was  no  longer  the  care  of  the  divine  planter? 
Nothing  like  it.  He  asserts  the  continuance  of  the 
"  good  olive  tree  "  in  life  and  vigor ;  the  excision  of 
some  worthless  branches,  and  the  insertion  of  new 
ones  in  their  stead.  "Thou"  says  he,  addressing 
the  Gentile,  "  partakest  of  the  root  and  fatness  of  the 
olive  tree."  Translate  this  into  less  figurative  lan- 
guage, and  wliat  is  its  import?  That  the  visible 
Church  of  God  subsists  without  injury  through  the 
change  of  dispensation  and  of  members.  Branches 
indeed  may  be  cnt  off,  but  the  rooted  trunk  stands 
firm,  and  other  branches  occupy  the  place  of  those 
which  are  lopped  away.  The  Jews  are  cast  out 
of  the  Church,  but  the  Church  perishes  not  with 


260  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

them.  There  was  still  left  the  trunk  of  the  old  olive 
tree  ;  there  was  still  fatness  in  its  roots ;  it  stands  in 
the  same  fertile  soil,  the  covenant  of  God ;  and  the 
admission  of  the  Gentiles  into  the  room  of  the 
excommunicated  Jews  makes  them  a  part  of  that 
covenant  Church  ;  as  branches  graflPed  into  the  olive 
tree,  and  flourishing  in  its  fatness,  are  identified 
with  the  tree."  ' 

But  this  is  not  all.  The  Apostle,  in  the  light  of 
prophecy,  foresees  the  restoration  of  the  Jews. 
These,  says  he,  the  "  natural  branches  shall  be  grafiFed 
in  again — shall  be  graffed  into  their  own  olive  tree.^^ 
Their  own  olive  tree,  then,  must  have  been  pre- 
served. Dropping  the  figure  :  they  shall  be  brought 
into  the  same  Church  in  which  the  Gentile  Chris- 
tians now  are ;  and  this  is  their  own  Church.  In 
coming  into  it,  they  are  but  coming  back  again  into 
their  own  C'aurch.  How  can  this  be,  unless  the 
visible  Church  be  essentially  one  and  the  same 
imder  both  dispensations  ? 

Eph.  ii.  11-1 4,  19-22.  Yer.  11.  "Wherefore,  remem- 
ber, that  ye  being  in  time  past  Gentiles  in 
the  fiesh,  who  are  called  uncircumcision  by 
that  which,  is  called  the  circumcision  iu  the 
flesh  made  by  hands  ; 

'  J.  M.  Mason's  Works,  vol.  ii.,  p.  309. 


SCRIPTURAL   REPRESENTATIONS.  261 

12.  Tluit  at  that  time,  ye  were  without  Christ,  being 

aliens  iVoni  the  commonwealth  of  Israel,  and 
strangers  from  the  covenants  of  promise,  hav- 
ing ni)  hope,  and  without  God  in  the  world. 

13.  But   nnw,   in   Christ   Jesns,  ye,   who    sometime 

■were  far  off,  are  made  nigh,  by  the  blood  of 
Christ. 

14.  For  he  is  our  peace,  who-  hath  made  botli  one, 

and  hath  broken  down  the  middle  wall  of 
partition  between  us." 

Can  there  be  any  doubt  wdiat  "  commonwealth  of 
Israel  "  it  is,  in  which  the  Gentiles,  once  "  aliens," 
are  now  made  "  citizens  ?  "  Can  it  be  any  other  than 
the  visible  Church  to  which  Israel  belonged?  or 
what  "  covenants  of  promise,"  to  which  they,  "  once 
strangers,"  have  been  "  brought  nigh  ? "  Can  it  be 
any  other  than  the  "  covenants  of  promise "  upon 
which  God's  Church  is  built?  Or  in  what  the 
Gentile  and  the  Jew  have  now  been  made  "  both 
one,"  by  "  breaking  down  the  middle  wall  of  parti- 
tion between  them  ?  "  Can  it  be  anything  else  than 
the  visible  Church  of  God  ? 

The  Apostle  proceeds: — Yer.  19. — ''Now,  there- 
fore, ye  are  no  more  strangers  and  foreigners,  but 
fellow-citizens  with  the  saints,  and  of  the  household 


262  THE   8UB,JECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

of  God."  Fellow-citizens  with  what  saints?  The 
Old  Testament  saints,  bejond  a  question  ;  fellow-citi- 
zens with  Abraham,  Moses,  David  and  Isaiah.  Of 
what  "  household  of  God  "  does  the  Apostle  speak  ? 
Of  the  household  to  which  these  Old  Testament 
saints  belonged.  Ver.  20. — "  And  are  built  upon 
the  foundation  of  the  Apostles  and  Prophets,  Jesus 
Christ  himself  being  the  chief  corner-stone  ;  21.  In 
whom  all  the  building,  fitly  framed  togethei-,  grow- 
eth  into  a  holy  temple  in  the  Lord.  22.  In  whom 
ye  also  are  builded  together,  for  a  habitation  of  God 
through  the  Spiiit."  Of  what  "holy  temple"  does 
the  Apostle  here  speak  ?  Of  the  Church  spiritual  ? 
No.  For  of  the  Church  spiritual  he  declares,  "  other 
foundation  can  no  man  lay  than  is  laid,  which  is 
Christ  Jesus"  (1.  Cor.  iii.  2).  The  visible  Church 
alone,  can  be  said  to  be  built  upon  "  the  foundation 
of  the  Apostles  cmd  Prophets^  Jesns  Christ  himself 
being  the  chief  corner-stone."  And  it  is  only  the  one 
visible  Church  which  has  existed  under  both  the  Old 
and  the  New  Testament  dispensations,  that  can  be 
said  to  embrace  in  its  foundations,  at  once,  the 
Apostles  and  Prophets. 


THE   FIKST   CHRISTIAN   CHUKCH    PURGED.  263 


§  52.  The  first  Christian  Church  hut  the  Old  Testa- 
ment Church  purged  of  the  Apostasy. 

The  essential  unity  of  the  Church,  under  the  Old 
and  New  Testament  dispensations,  appears  just  as 
plainly  in  the  history  of  "The  Acts,"  as  it  does  in 
Paul's  Epistles.  The  first  Christian  Church  existed 
before  the  day  of  Pentecost.  "  And  in  those  days 
Peter  stood  up  in  the  midst  of  the  disciples^  and  said 
(the  number  of  the  names  together  were  about  a 
hundred  and  twenty),  men  and  hrethren :"  (Acts  i.  15, 
16).  These  hundred  and  twenty  disciples^  brethren., 
formed  the  first  Christian  Church  ever  existing  on 
eai-tli ;  and  we  find  them  exercising  one  of  the  high- 
est functions  of  a  Church,  in  the  choice  of  an  Apos- 
tle in  the  place  of  Judas  (see  Acts,  i.  16-26).  This 
Church  it  was  that  was  gathered  in  Jerusalem,  on 
the  (lay  of  Pentecost,  "  And  when  the  day  of  Pente- 
cost was  fully  come,  they  loere  all  with  one  accord  in 
one  place"  (Acts,  ii.  1).  And  to  this  Church  the  three 
thousand  converted  on  the  day  of  Pentecost  were 
added :  "  Then  they  that  gladly  received  the  Word 
were  baptized ;  and  the  same  day  there  were  added 
unto  them  about  three  thousand  souls."     (Acts,  ii.  41.) 

Now,  these  "hundred  and  twenty,"  including  the 
Apostles,  never  received  Christian  baptism.     They 


26i  THE    SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

had  been  baptized,  in  all  probability,  by  Jolm,  or  by 
Christ's  disciples ;  but  this  baptism,  as  has  been 
shown  in  §  29,  and  as  all  modern  Baptist  writers  ad- 
mit, was  not  Cin-istian  baptism  ;  nor  could  it  take  the 
place  of  Ciiristian  baptism,  as  Paul  decides  in  the  case 
of  certain  disciples  at  Ephesus  (see  Acts,  xix.  1-5). 
They  were  also  baptized  "  with  the  Holy  Ghost  and 
with  fire"  (Acts  ii.  2-4):  but  let  the  reader  notice, 
(1,)  tliev  were  a  Church  before  this  baptism,  and  ex- 
ercised the  functions  of  a  Church  in  the  choice  of  an 
Apostle  ;  and  (-2,)  baptism  with  the  Holy  Ghost  was 
not  Christian  baptism,  in  the  distinctive  sense  of  that 
term,  nor  could  it  take  the  place  of  Christian  bnptism, 
as  is  evident  from  Peter's  administering  Christian 
baptism  to  those  in  the  house  of  Cornelius,  after  they 
had  been  baptized  with  the  Holy  Ghost.  (See  Acts, 
X.  44-48.) 

Admitting  that  these  "  hundred  and  twenty  "  never 
received  Christian  baptism,  Mr.  Alex.  Campbell  at- 
tempts to  evade  the  force  of  the  argument  therefrom, 
by  saying,  "  When  a  person  is  appointed  by  God  to 
set  up  an  institution,  he  is  not  himself  to  be  regard- 
ed as  a  subject  of  that  institution.  Some  one  must 
commence  the  institution — there  must  be  some  one 
to  commence  Christian  baptism  ;  that  could  not  be 
done  till  Jesus  had  died,  was  buried,  and  rose  again." 
"This   evasion   of    the   difficulty   will   not   answer. 


THE    FIRST   CHRISTIAN    CHURCH    PURGED.  265 

Abraham  set  up  the  institution  of  circumcision,  and 
yet  he  was  himself  circumcised,  Aaron,  the  first 
Jewish  high  priest,  was  consecrated  just  as  were  his 
successors.  Why,  then,  did  not  these  hundred  and 
twenty  receive  Christian  baptism." ' 

To  this  question  we  can  give  but  one  answer,  if 
we  answer  it  in  accordance  with^the  teachings  of 
Scripture.  The  Jewish  Church,  as  a  body,  had  apos- 
tatized from  God ;  and  this,  their  apostasy,  was 
consummated  by  the  crucifixion  of  Clirist,  their 
Messiah.  This  crowning  act  of  apostasy  being  the 
act  of  their  rulers,  was  regarded  by  God,  and  treated, 
as  the  act  of  the  people  at  large.  "  The  God  of  our 
fathers  hath  glorified  his  son  Jesus  ;  whom  ye  deliv- 
ered up,  and  denied  him  in  the  presence  of  Pilate, 
when  he  was  determined  to  let  him  go ;  But  ye  de- 
nied the  Holy  One  and  the  Just,  and  desired  a  mur- 
derer to  be  granted  unto  you  ;  and  killed  the  Prince 
of  Life, — And  now,  brethren,  I  wot  that  through  ig- 
norance ye  did  it,  as  did  also  your  rulers"  (Acts,  iii. 
13,  li,  15,  17),  is  Peter's  address  to  the  Jews,  at  the 
gate  of  the  temple,  shortly  after  the  day  of  Penre- 
cost.  In  consequence  of  this  apostasy,  the  Jewish 
Church,  as  a  body,  was  cut  off. 

Ere  this  apostasy  was  consummated,  however,  a 


N.  L.  Rice  on  Baptism,  p.  208. 
12 


266  THE  SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

few  had  received  the  Messiah,  and  "  believed  on  his 
name  ;  and  to  them  had  he  given  power  to  become 
the  sons  of  God"  (John,  i.  12).  Thej  had  no  part  in 
the  guilty  act  which  filled  np  the  measure  of  the  in- 
iquity of  their  people  (Matt,  xxiii.  32).  And,  there- 
fore, in  the  excision  of  that  people,  they  were  not 
included.  God  separated  here,  as  he  did  in  the  days 
of  ISToah,  and  in  the  case  of  Sodom.  The  apostasy 
was  cut  off;  the  election  remained.  These  "hun- 
dred and  twenty"  had  been  initiated  into  the 
Chm-ch,  at  eight  days  old,  by  circumcision ;  a  rite 
which,  from  the  days  of  Abraham  to  the  day  of 
Pentecost,  was  the  only  initiatory  rite  of  the  Church 
of  God  (for  nothing  is  more  certain  than  that  neither 
the  "baptism  of  John,"  nor  that  of  Christ's  disciples 
whilst  their  master  remained  with  them,  were  initia- 
tory rites  into  any  Church).  At  the  time  of  the  cru- 
cifixion, they  were  members  of  the  Church,  in  good 
standing,  and  they  never  lost  that  standing.  The 
excision  of  "the  apostasy,"  simply  purged  the 
Church  of  God  ;  not  affecting  the  integrity  of  that 
Church  ac  all.  The  part  not  exscinded,  remained, 
constituting  the  true,  visible  Church  of  God  on 
earth.  And  around  this  purged  Old  Testament 
Church,  as  its  nucleus,  the  New  Testament  Church 
was  collected.  Since  the  day  of  Pentecost,  and  the 
institution  of  Christian  baptism,  that  baptism  is  the 


THE   FIRST   CHRISTIAN   CHTRCH   PURGED.  267 

initiatory  rite  into  tlie  Clnircli  of  God  ;  and  all  who 
enter  that  Chnrch  (including  the  circnmcised  Jews, 
who  had  lost  their  clmrch-standing  by  being  exscind- 
ed with  "  the  Apostasy),  must  receive  it.  These 
"hundred  and  twenty"  never  received  it,  for  the 
simple  and  sufficient  reason  that  they  were  already  in 
the  Church,  inducted  in  infancy  by  circumcision,  and 
they  had  no  need  to  enter. 

How  perfectly  does  this  history  in  the  book  of 
Acts  agree  with  the  representations  given  us  in  other 
portions  of  Scripture,  especially  by  Paul  in  his  va- 
rious Epistles. 


268  THE   SUBJECTS    OF  BAJTISM. 


CHAPTEK    YI 


§  53.  Christ's  Recognition  of  Infant  Membership  in  the  Church.  Matt.  xix.  lS-16. 
Mark,  x.  13-16.  Lulie,  xviii.  15-17.  §  5i.  Christ's  re-commission  of  Peter. 
John,  xxi.  15.  §  55.  Peter's  preaching  of  Christian  Baptism.  Acts,  ii.  38,  39,  and 
iii.  24-26.    §  56.  Significant  SUence  of  the  Jews. 


§  53.  Matt.  XIX.  13-15.    Marie,  X.  13-16.    Luke, 
XYIII.  15-17. 

Matt.  xix.  Ver.  13.  "Tlien  were  brought  unto  him 
little  childi-en,  that  he  should  put  his  hands 
on  them,  and  pray ;  and  his  disciples  rebuked 
them. 

14.  But  Jesus  said,  Suflfer  little  children,  and  forbid 

them  not  to   come  unto  me ;  /br  of  such  is 
the  Jcingdom  of  Hea/oen. 

15.  And  he  laid  his  hands  on  them,  and  departed 

thence." 

Mark,  x.  Ver.  13.  "  And  they  brought  young  chil- 
dren to  him,  that  he  should  touch  them ;  and 
his  disciples  rebuked  those  that  brought  them. 

14.  But  when  Jesus  saw  it,  he  was  much  displeased. 


Christ's  recognition  of  infant  membership,  269 

and  said  unto  them,  Suffer  tlie  little  cliildren 
to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not ;  for 
of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God. 

15.  Verily,   I  say  unto  you,  Wliosoever  shall   not 

receiye  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child, 
he  shall  not  enter  therein, 

16.  And  he  took  them  up  in  his  arms,  put  his  hands 

upon  them,  and  blessed  them." 
Luke,  xviii,   Ver,  15,  "And  they  brought  unto  him 
also  infants,  that  he  should  touch  them ;  but 
when    his    disciples    saw    it,   they   rebuked 
them, 

16.  But    Jesus    called    them   unto   him,    and   said, 

Suffer  little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and 
forbid  them  not ;  for  of  such  is  the  Icingdom 
of  God. 

17.  Yerily  I   say  unto   you,  "Whosoeyer   shall   not 

receive  the  kingdom  of  God  as  a  little  child, 
shall  in  nowise  enter  therein." 

As  preliminary  to  an  exposition  of  our  Lord's 
words,  "  For  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven, 
(God),"  we  ask  the  reader  to  remark : 

1.  Tlie  persons  brought  to  Jesus  were  little  chil- 
dren, in  the  proper  sense  of  that  phrase.  Matthew 
styles  them  "  little  children  ;"  Mark,  "  young  chil- 
dren,"  and    Luke,   "infants,"  (l/rejphe);    and   Mark 


270  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

records  tlie  fact,  that  "  he  took  them  up  in  his  arms, 
and  blessed  them," 

2.  These  infants  were  brought  to  Jesus,  "that  he 
should  put  his  hands  on  them,  and  pray,"  (Matt.); 
"  put  his  hands  upon  them,  and  bless  them,"  (Mark) ; 
and  not  for  bodily  healing,  as  Dr.  Gill  imagines. 

3.  Our  Lord's  words  must  be  understood  in  a 
sense  in  which  they  will  convey  a  rebuke  to  his 
disciples ;  and  a  rebuke  correspondent  to  the  con- 
duct, on  their  part,  which  has  called  forth  that 
rebuke.  The  offence  committed  by  his  disciples 
must  have  been  a  serious  offence  in  our  Lord's 
account;  for  this  is  the  only  instance,  in  the  whole 
course  of  his  life,  in  which  we  read  of  him,  "the 
meek  and  lowly"  one,  that  "he  was  much  dis- 
pleased^^ with  his  disciples.  As  the  displeasure  of 
Jesus  must  have  been  a  righteous  displeasure, 
nothing  short  of  a  rebuke  will  be  the  proper  expres- 
sion of  it." 

Turn  we  now  to  an  examination  of  our  Lord's 
words,  "for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  Heaven, 
(God)." 

1.  ^'■Kingdom  of  Heaven,  {God)^  The  word  here 
translated  kingdom,  is  a  word  of  more  extensive 
signification  than  our  English  word  kingdom ;  being 
used,  as  Campbell  remarks,  to  express  the  ideas 
expressed  by  our  two  words  reign  and 


Christ's  kecognition  of  infant  membership.  271 

Wlierever  it  is  used  in  connection  with  such  phrases 
as  "is  come  unto  you,"  "is  at  hand,"  or  the  like,  it 
is  evidently  to  be  understood  in  the  sense  of  Mes- 
siah's reign,  as  in  Matt.  iii.  2.  "Eepent  ye,  for  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven  is  at  hand."  In  other  instances, 
it  is  to  be  understood  in  the  proper  sense  of  our  Eng- 
lish word,  kingdom ;  and  it  is  used  to  designate  "  the 
religious  constitution,  under  which  subjects  were  to  > 
be  gathered  to  God  by  his  Son,  and  a  society  to  be 
formed,  which  was  to  subsist,  first,  in  more  imper- 
fect circumstances  on  earth,  but  afterwards  to 
api  jar  complete  in  the  world  of  glory."  (Dod- 
driu-j.)  Hence,  "the  kingdom  of  Heaven,  or  of 
God,"  is  sometimes  used  as  equivalent  to  the  visible 
Church  on  earth,  as  in  Matt.  xiii.  47.  "The  kingdom 
of  Heaven  is  like  unto  a  net,  that  was  cast  into  the 
sea,  and  gathered  of  every  kind."  At  other  times, 
it  is  used  to  signify  the  Church  of  God  in  her  state 
of  glory,  as  in  1  Cor.  xv.  50.  "Now  this  I  say, 
brethren,  that  flesh  and  blood  cannot  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  God." 

2.  "  Of  suchP  On  this  phrase.  Dr.  Carson  remarks : 
"'The  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  of  such^  cannot  pos- 
sibly mean  that  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  of  them. 
The  term  such  does  not  signify  identity^  cannot  sig- 
nify identity,  but  likeness."  ' 

"  Carson  on  Baptism,  p.  200. 


272  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

Let  lis  see  if  Scriptural  usage  will  bear  out  this 
positive  assertion  of  Dr.  Carson.  Kom.  i.  23.  "Wlio 
knowing  the  judgment  of  God,  that  they  which 
commit  such  things"  {i.  e.,  the  very  crimes  which 
Paul  has  just  before  specified),  "  are  worthy  of 
death;  not  only  do  the  same,  but  have  pleasure  in 
them  that  do  them."  1  Cor.  v.  11.  "But  now,  I 
have  written  unto  you,  not  to  keep  company,  if  any 
man  that  is  called  a  brother  be  a  fornicator,  or 
covetous,  or  an  idolator,  or  a  railer,  or  a  drunkard, 
or  an  extortioner,  with  such  an  one  "  (^.  e.,  with  the 
very  persons  specified),  "no,  not  to  eat."  Gal.  v.  21. 
"Envyings,  murdei's,  revellings,  drunkenness,  and 
such  like"  (here,  such  signifies  likeness;  but  the  word 
used  in  the  Greek  is  different  from  the  word  used  by 
our  Lord,  in  the  passage  under  examination),  "of  the 
which  I  tell  you  before,  as  I  have  also  told  you  in 
time  past,  that  they  which  do  siich  things  "  (here, 
the  word  used  is  the  same  with  that  used  by  our 
Lord,  and  evidently  means,  these  very  things,  env_y- 
ings,  murders,  and  such  like),  "shall  not  inherit  the 
kingdom  of  God."  1  Tim.  vi.  4,  5.  "He  is  proud, 
knowing  nothing,  but  doting  about  questions  and 
strifes  of  words,  whereof  cometh  envy,  sti-ife,  railing, 
evil  surmisings,  perverse  disputings  of  men  of  cor- 
rupt minds  and  destitute  of  the  truth,  supposing 
that  gain  is  godliness.     From  such  "  {i.  e.,  from  the 


Christ's  kecognition  of  infant  mkmbersiiip.   273 

very  persons  just  described),  "witlidraw  thyself." 
3  Jiio.  vii.  8.  "  Dec.iuse  that  for  liis  name's  sake  they 
went  forth,  taking  nothing  of  the  Gentiles.  We 
therefore  ought  to  receive  such  "  ii.  e.,  these  very 
persons,  and  others  like  them),  "that  we  might  be 
fellow  helpers  to  the  truth."  Acts  xix.  25.  "Whom 
he,"  Demetrius,  "  called  together,  with  men  of  like 
occupation  "  (the  word  here  translated  like  is  the 
same  rendered  such  in  the  passage  under  examina- 
tion; and  "like  occupation"  here  means  of  the  occu- 
pation of  Demetrius,  as  is  evident  from  what  fol- 
lows), "and  said.  Sirs,  ye  know  that  by  this  craft  we 
have  our  wealth."  These  instances  of  the  use  of  this 
phrase  "^  such,^^  have  not  been  selected  to  serve  a 
purpose;  but  turning  to  Robinson's  New  Testament 
Lexicon,  we  have  given  all  the  instances  there  cited, 
excepting  one,  viz.  Mark,  ix.  37,  a  passage  very 
similar  to  the  one  under  examination.  And  now  we 
ask  the  reader,  does  Scriptural  usage  give  any  coun- 
tenance to  Dr.  Carson's  remark,  " '  The  kingdom  of 
Heaven  is  of  such,^  cannot  possibly  mean  that  the 
kingdom  of  Heaven  is  of  themV  On  the  contrary, 
Scriptural  usage  will  allow  us  to  understand  "the 
kingdom  of  Heaven  is  o{  such^''  in  no  other  way  than 
either  the  kingdom  of  Heaven  is  of  them,  or  of  them 
and  those  like  them^ 

Dr.  Gill  explains  the  passage  we  are  examining  as 
12* 


274  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

follows  (and  the  explanation  of  eveiy  Baptist  expos- 
itor, whose  writings  we  have  seen,  is  substantially 
the  same),  "  It  is,  as  if  our  Lord  would  say,  don't 
drive  away  these  children  from  my  person  and  pre- 
sence ;  they  are  lively  emblems  of  the  proper  sub- 
jects of  a  Gospel  Church-state,  and  of  such  as  shall 
enter  into  the  kingdom  of  heaven  ;  by  these  I  may  in- 
struct and  point  out  to  you  what  converted  persons 
should  be,  who  have  a  place  in  my  Church  below, 
and  expect  to  enter  into  my  kingdom  and  glory 
above — they  are,  or  ought  to  be,  like  such  children, 
harmless  and  inoffensive,  free  from  rancor  and 
malice." 

To  this  exposition  we  object:  1,  It  assigns  to  the 
phrase  "  of  such"  an  unusual  meaning,  and  one 
which,  we  believe,  it  never  has  in  Scrij^ture.  2,  It 
makes  our  Lord  say  that  which  is  in  no  way  perti- 
nent to  the  occasion.  The  children  were  brought  to 
him  ex^^ressly,  that  he  might  pray  for  and  bless 
them.  3,  Thus  understood,  our  Lord's  words  convey 
no  reproof  to  his  disci]:)les,  and  yet  they  are  spoken 
when  he  is  "much  displeased  "  with  them. 

We  would  understand  by  "  the  kingdom  of  heaven 
or  God"  here,  the  visible  Church;  and  most  Baptist 
writers  agree  with  us  on  this  point.  That  Church, 
however,  was  the  Old  Testament  Church,  for  "  the 
day  of  Pentecost  had  not  yet  come.     These  children 


chkist's  kkcognition  of  infant  membership.  275 

being  the  cliildren  of  Jewish  parents,  had,  doubtless, 
been  introduced  as  infant  members  into  that  Church, 
by  their  reception  of  circumcision  when  eight  days 
old,  and  tliis,  it  is  admitted  on  all  hands,  was  by  di- 
vine appointment.  If,  now,  we  understand  our 
Lord's  words  "  for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven  " 
simply  to  assert  the  church-membership  of  these 
"  little  ones,  infants,"  they  assert  nothing  but  what  is 
confessedly  a  fact ;  and  just  the  very  fact,  of  all  others, 
which  is  pertinent  to  the  occasion.  "What  more  con- 
clusive reason  can  he  assign,  why  parents  should  be 
encouraged  to  bring  their  infant  children  to  him,  the 
Messiah,  the  Son  of  God,  that  he  may  bless  them, 
than  that  God  himself  has  included  them  in  his  pre- 
cious covenant?  What  more  solemn  rebuke  can  he 
administer  to  his  disciples  than  by  saying  in  sub- 
stance, God  does  not  disdain  to  notice  these  little 
ones  ;  and  in  casting  them  off  ye  are  making  your- 
selves wiser  than  God,  and  setting  youselves  in  op- 
position to  him. 

Thus  understanding  our  Lord's  words,  how  natu- 
rally does  the  declaration  follow,  "Verily,  I  say 
unto  you,  whosoever  shall  not  receive  the  kingdom 
of  God,  as  a  little  child  "  {i.  e.  in  the  teachable  spirit 
of  a  little  child),  "  he  shall  not  enter  therein."  It 
was  the  overweening  confidence  of  the  disciples  in 
their  own  judgment,  which  had  led  them  to  do  that 


276  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

for  which  our  Lord  has  reproved  them  ;  because  they 
were  guided  by  their  own  sense  of  what  was  fit  and 
proper,  rather  than  by  the  plain  instructions  of  God's 
Word,  they  had  fallen  into  this  error.  And  now, 
he  would  guard  them  against  such  danger  for  the 
future. 

But,  after  all,  it  may  be  said,  these  children  were 
not  baptized.  Certainly  not.  Christian  baptisms  had 
not  then  been  instituted.  These  infants  were,  in 
virtue  of  their  circumcision,  members  of  the  visible 
Church  (the  Jewish  Church,  not  as  yet  finally  cast 
off,  for  the  Jews  had  not  then,  by  the  crucifixion  of 
their  Messiah,  "  filled  up  the  measure  of  their  ini- 
quities"), and  on  this  account,  even  had  Christian 
baptism  then  been  practised,  there  would  have  been 
no  propriety  in  administering  it  to  them. 

In  the  words  of  the  Lord  Jesus,  "  Sufier  little  chil- 
dren to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not,  for  of 
such  is  the  Mngdora  of  heaven^''  we  have  his  dis- 
tinct and  emphatic  recognition  of  infant  membership 
in  the  Church  of  God  (the  Old  Testament  Church  it 
is  true,  but  not  on  that  account  the  less  the  Church 
of  God)  as  existing  toward  the  close  of  his  public 
ministry,  and  this,  without  the  slightest  intimation 
that  such  membership  was  ever  to  cease  in  that 
Church.  On  the  contrary,  the  recognition  is  made 
in  circumstances  strongly  implying  its  continuance. 


Christ's  ke- commission  of  peter.  277 

since  it  is  made  in  rebuking  the  disposition  mani- 
fested by  his  disciples,  those  by  whom  the  requisite 
changes  in  tliat  Church  were  to  be  carried  forward 
and  perfected,  to  account  such  membership  of  little 
value. 


"So  when  they  had  dined,  Jesus  saith  to  Simon 
Peter,  Simon  son  of  Jonas,  lovest  thou 
me  more  than  these  ?  He  saith  unto  him : 
Yea,  Lord :  thou  knowest  that  I  love  thee. 
He  saith  unto  him.  Feed  my  lambs." 

It  is  agreed  on  all  hands  that  in  these  words  and 
those  recorded  in  the  two  verses  immediately  follow- 
ing, we  have  "  our  Lord's  renewal  of  Peter's  ajjpoint-- 
ment  to  the  ministerial  and  apostolic  office."  Peter's 
denial  of  his  master  "  had,  undoubtedly,  rendered  him 
unworthy  of  the  Apostleship ;  for  how  could  he  be 
capable  of  instructing  others  in  the  faith,  who  had 
basely  revolted  from  it?  He  had  been  made  an 
Apostle,  but  it  was  along  witli  Judas,  and  from  the 
time  when  he  had  abandoned  his  post,  he  had  like- 
wise been  deprived  of  the  honor  of  Apostleship. 
Now,  therefore,  the  liberty  as  well  as  authority  of 
teaching  is  restored  to  him.     Such  a  restoration  was 


278  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

necessary,  both  for  Peter  and  for  his  hearers.  For 
Peter,  that  he  might  the  more  boklly  execute  his 
office,  being  assured  of  the  calling  with  which 
Christ  had  again  invested  him.  For  his  hearers, 
that  the  stain  which  attached  to  his  person,  might 
not  be  the  occasion  of  despising  the  Gospel.  To  lis, 
also,  in  the  present  day,  it  is  of  very  great  import- 
ance that  Peter  comes  forth  to  us  as  a  new  man,  from 
whom  the  disgrace  that  might  have  lessened  his 
authority  has  been  removed"  (Calvin's  Commen- 
tary). 

Let  the  reader  notice  now  the  terms  in  which  this 
renewal  of  Peter's  apostolic  authority  is  first  given 
— "  Feed  my  lamhsy  And  let  him  remember,  at 
the  same  time,  that  in  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures, 
Christ  is  described  as  one  who  "shall  feed  his  flock 
like  a  shepherd;  shall  gather  the  larnbs  with  his 
arms,  and  carry  thejn  in  his  bosom,  and  shall  gently 
lead  those  that  are  with  young."  (Isa.  xl.  11.)  And 
let  him  remember,  too,  the  rebuke  which,  a  little 
while  before,  Christ  has  given  Peter,  in  common 
with  the  other  disciples,  in  his  words,  "  Suffer  the 
little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not, 
for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  heaven."  (Mark,  x.  14.) 
And  then  ask  himself,  How  must  Peter  have  under- 
stood his  Lord's  words — "  Feed  my  lambs  T^  Do 
they  not  contain  a  very  strong  intimation,  to  say  the 


Peter's  preaching  of  christian  baptism.    279 

least  of  it,  that  infant-mcmborsliip  is  to  continue 
in  the  Church  of  God,  under  Peter's  apostleship? 
Are  thej  not  unaccountable,  on  the  supposition  that 
such  membership  is,  from  that  time,  to  cease? 


§  55.  Acts,  11.  38,  39;  III.  24-26. 

Acts,  ii.  38,  39.  "  Tlien  Peter  said  unto  them,  Ke- 
peut,  and  be  baptised  every  one  of  you  in 
the  name  of  Jesus  Christ,  for  the  remission  of 
sins,  and  ye  shall  receive  the  gift  of  the  Holy 
Ghost.  For  the  promise  is  to  you  and  to  your 
children,  and  to  all  that  are  afar  off,  even  as 
many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call," 

Acts,  iii.  24—26.  "  Yea,  and  all  the  prophets  from 
Samuel,  and  those  that  follow  after,  as  many 
as  have  spoken,  have  likewise  foretold  of 
these  days.  Ye  are  the  children  of  the  pro- 
phets, and  of  the  covenant  which  God  made 
with  our  fathers,  saying  unto  Abraham,  And 
in  thy  seed  shall  all  the  kindreds  of  the  earth 
be  blessed.  Unto  you  first,  God  having  raised 
up  his  Son  Jesus,  sent  him  to  bless  you  in 
turning  away  every  one  of  you  from  his  ini- 
quities." 

The  passage  first  quoted  above  is  the  conclusion 


280  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

of  Peter's  address  to  the  multitude,  on  the  Day  of 
Pentecost.  Tlie  other  is  the  conclusion  of  a  public 
address  of  his,  delivered  a  few  days  later,  in  very 
similar  circumstances.  In  each  case,  he  is  evidently 
urging  upon  his  hearers  an  immediate  repentance, 
for  the  reason  that  this  was  emphatically  their  day 
of  grace,  and  a  day  of  grace  granted  them  in  fulfill- 
ment of  God's  covenant  with  Abraham.  (Acts,  iii. 
25,  26.) 

When,  then,  in  his  first  address,  he  says,  "  the 
promise  is  to  you  and  to  your  children,  and  to  all 
that  are  afar  off,"  to  what  promise  does  he  refer? 
Undoubtedly,  we  think,  to  the  promise  which  God 
had  included  in  his  covenant  with  Abraham.  And 
when  we  turn  to  that  promise,  we  find  it  answering, 
in  every  particular,  to  Peter's  words,  as  here  re- 
corded. "  And  I  will  establish  my  covenant  between 
me  and  thee,  and  thy  seed  after  thee,  in  their  gene- 
rations, for  an  everlasting  covenant ;  to  be  a  God 
unto  thee,  and  to  thy  seed  after  thee."  (Gen.  xvii.  7.) 
There  is  the  promise,  "  to  you  and  to  your  children ;" 
"  for  a  father  of  many  nations  have  I  made  thee." 
(Gen.  xvii.  5.)  There  is  the  promise,  as  Paul  ex- 
plains it  in  Kom.  iv.  13-17,  "  to  all  that  are  afar  off, 
even  as  many  as  the  Lord  our  God  shall  call." 

Let  the  reader  notice  now,  that  this  address  was 
made   by  Peter,  on   the   occasion  when   Christian, 


petek's  preaching  of  christian  baptism.    281 

baptism  was  first  preaclied  to  tlie  people.  That  it 
was  addressed  exclusively  to  Jews  and  Jewish  pro- 
selytes, at  Jerusalem,  and  by  Peter,  himself  a  Jew. 
That  the  only  way  into  the  Church  of  Christ,  of 
which  any  of  the  parties  had  a  knowledge  then,  was 
through  the  Old  Testament  Church,  for  it  was  not 
until  some  time  after  this,  at  the  house  of  Cornelius, 
that  the  first  Gentile  was  received  directly  into  the 
Church ;  and  from  Peter's  conduct  on  that  occasion, 
it  is  evident,  that  up  to  that  time,  neither  he  nor  the 
other  apostles  understood  God's  purposes  in  this  par- 
ticular. And  we  ask,  is  not  Peter's  paraphrase  of 
God's  promise  to  Abraham,  "  for  the  promise  is  to 
you  and  to  your  children,"  unaccountable,  if  the  ini- 
tiatory rite  into  the  Church  of  God  is  now,  for  the 
first  time,  to  be  refused  to  the  children  of  the 
believer?  How  must  the  Jews  have  understood 
Peter,  when  he  calls  upon  them,  by  repentance  and 
ba})tism,  to  enter  the  Christian  Church,  assigning  as 
the  special  reason  why  they  should  do  so,  God's 
promise  to  Abraham,  which  was  made,  says  he,  "  to 
you  and  to  your  children?"  It  would  be  strange 
indeed,  had  they  understood  him  to  speak  of  any 
other  way  than  that  in  which  they  and  their  fathers 
had  always  entered  into  the  Church  of  God,  from 
the  time  that  promise  was  given — i.  e.,  the  infant 


282  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

children  entering  into  company  with  the  believing 
parent. 


§  56.  SigniJiGant  silence  of  the 


Supposing  that  the  change  in  the  constitution  of 
the  Church  of  God,  for  which  the  Baptist  contends — 
viz.,  the  abrogation  of  infant  membership  in  that 
Church — had  been  made,  the  question  at  once  arises, 
"  How  must  such  a  measure  have  operated  upon  the 
feelings  of  a  believing  Jew  ?" 

"  Tenacious,  in  a  high  degree,  of  their  peculiari- 
ties, regarding  their  relation  to  Abraham  as  momen- 
tous to  their  individual  happiness,  and  as  the  most 
prominent  feature  of  their  national  glory ;  knowing, 
too,  that  their  children  were  comprised  with  them- 
selves in  the  covenant  of  God  ;  it  is  not  possible  that 
the  Hebrews  could  have  submitted,  without  reluc- 
tance, to  a  constitution  which  was  to  strip  them  of 
their  favorite  privilege,  to  dissever  their  tenderest 
ties,  to  blot  the  names  of  their  little  ones  out  of  the 
register  of  God's  people,  to  treat  them  afterwards, 
from  generation  to  generation,  as  the  little  ones  of 
the  heathen  man  and  the  publican !  On  every  other 
prerogative,  real  or  imaginary,  their  suspicion  was 
awake,  their  zeal  was  inflammable,  their  passions 


SIGNIFICANT   SILENCE   OF   THE   JEWS.  283 

intractable ;  but  toward  tliis,  their  grand  prerog- 
ative, they  evince  a  tameness  which  required  them 
to  foi'get,  at  ouce,  that  they  were  men,  and  that  they 
were  Jews. 

"  Search  the  records  of  the  New  Testament  from 
one  end  to  the  other,  and  you  will  not  find  the  trace 
of  a  remonstrance,  an  object,  or  a  difficulty  on  this 
subject,  from  the  mouth  of  a  believing  or  an  unbeliev- 
ing Israelite !  The  former  never  parted  with  a  tittle 
of  even  the  Mosaic  law,  till  the  will  of  God  was  so 
clearly  demonstrated  as  to  remove  every  doubt ;  the 
latter  lay  constantly  in  wait  for  matter  of  accusation 
against  the  Christians.  Nothing  could  have  prompt- 
ed him  to  louder  clamor,  to  fiercer  resistance,  or  to 
heavier  charges,  than  an  attempt  to  overturn  a  funda- 
mental principle  of  the  covenant  with  Abraham  ; 
nothing  could  have  more  startled  and  distressed  the 
meek  and  modest  disciple.  Yet  that  attempt  is 
made ;  that  fundamental  principle  of  the  covenant 
with  Abraham  is  overturned ;  and  not  a  friend  com- 
plains, nor  a  foe  resents  !  What  miracle  of  enchant- 
ment has  so  instantaneously  relieved  the  conscience 
of  the  one,  and  calmed  the  wrath  of  the  other? 
Where  is  that  wayward  vanity,  that  captious  criti- 
cism, that  combustible  temperament,  that  insidious, 
implacable,  restless  enmity,  which  by  night  and  by 


284-  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

day,  in  country  and  in  town,  haunted  the  steps  of  the 
Apostles,  and  treasured  up  actions,  words,  looks,  for 
the  hour  of  convenient  vengeance  ?  All  gone  ;  dis- 
sipated in  a  moment!  The  proud  and  persecuting 
Pharisee  rages  at  the  name  of  Jesus  Christ ;  fights 
for  his  traditions  and  his  phylacteries  ;  and  utters  not 
a  syllable  of  dissent  from  a  step  which  completely 
annihilates  the  covenant  with  Abraham !  that  very 
covenant  fi'om  which  he  professes  to  derive  his 
whole  importance  !  "We  can  believe  a  good  deal,  but 
not  quite  so  much  as  this. 

"  Should  it  be  alleged  that  the  Jews  did  probably 
oppose  the  exclusion  of  their  infants  from  the  New 
Testament  Church,  although  the  sacred  writers  have 
omitted  to  mention  it :  we  reply, 

"That  although  many  things  have  happened 
which  were  never  recorded — and,  therefore,  that  the 
mere  silence  of  an  historian  is  not,  in  itself,  conclu- 
sive against  their  existence — yet  no  man  may  assume, 
as  proof,  the  existence  of  a  fact  which  is  unsupported 
by  either  history  or  tradition.  On  this  ground,  the 
plea  which  we  have  stopped  to  notice  is  perfectly 
nugatory. 

"In  the  present  case,  however,  the  probabilities 
look  all  the  other  way.  We  mean,  that  if  the  Jews 
had  made  the  opposition,  which,  on  the  supposition 


BIGNIFICANT    SILENCE   OF   THE   JEWS.  285 

we  are  combating,  it  is  inconceivable  they  should 
not  have  made,  it  would  have  been  so  interwoven 
with  the  origin,  constitution,  progress  and  transac- 
tions of  the  primitive  Church,  as  to  have  rendered  an 
omission  of  it  almost  impossible. 

"  The  question  about  circumcision  and  the  obliga- 
tion of  the  Gentile  converts  to  keep  the  law  of 
Moses,  shook  the  Churches  to  their  centre ;  and  was 
not  put  at  rest  but  bj  a  final  decision  of  the  Apos- 
tles and  elders  (see  Acts,  xv.).  Now,  as  circumcision 
was  the  seal  of  the  Abrahamic  covenant,  which  ex- 
pressly constituted  infants  members  of  the  Church, 
is  it  to  be  imagined  that  so  hot  a  controversy  should 
be  kindled  about  the  ensealing  rite,  and  none  at  all 
about  the  privilege  sealed  ?  or  that  a  record  should 
have  been  carefully  preserved  of  the  disputes  and 
decision  concerning  the  sign,  and  no  record  at  all 
kept  of  the  tfdng  signified,  which  imparted  to  the 
former  all  its  interest  and  value  ? 

"It  is,  therefore,  utterly  incredible  that  the  resist- 
ance of  the  Jews  to  the  Christian  arrangement  for 
shutting  out  their  children  from  the  Church  of  God, 
should  have  passed  unnoticed.  But  no  notice  of  any 
such  resistance  is  contained  in  the  New  Testament. 
The  conclusion  is,  that  no  such  resistance  was  ever 
offered :  and  the  conclusion  from  this  again  is,  that 


286  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

no  cause  for  it  ever  existed ;  that  is,  that  the  infants 
of  professing  parents  were  considered  as  holding, 
under  the  new  economy,  the  same  place  and  rela- 
tion which  thej  held  under  the  old."  ^ 

*  J.  M.  Mason's  "Works,  vol  ii.  pp.  Z61-Z11. 


mFAUT   aLEMBEKSHIP   RECOGNIZED.  28 i 


CHAPTEK    YII. 

INFANT  MEitBERSHIP  RECOGNIZED  BY  GIVING  TO  CHILDREN 
THE  PECULIAR  TITLES  BELONGING  TO  CHURCH  MEM- 
BERS. 

§  57.  Names  given  to  Church  Members  in  Scripture.    §  53.  Eph.  i.  1,  and  vi.  1-3 ; 
Col.  i.  1, 2,  and  ui.  20.    §  59.  Titus,  i.  6.    §  60.  1  Cor.  vii.  12-14. 

§  57.  Names  given  to  Church  Members  in  the  days 
of  Christ  and  the  Apostles. 

The  name  "  Chnstian''^  was  not  given  to  the  fol- 
lowers of  Jesus,  until  some  years  after  the  death  of 
our  Lord  (see  Acts,  xi.  26).  It  eventually  became 
the  common  name  by  which  the  members  of  the 
Church  were  designated,  yet  such  was  not  the  case 
dm-ing  the  days  of  the  Apostles.  It  is  a  name  used 
but  twice  in  the  Avhole  N'ew  Testament;  once  by 
Agrippa,  when  he  addresses  Paul,  "Almost  thou 
persuadest  me  to  be  a  Christian''^  (Acts,  xxvi.  28), 
and  once  by  Peter,  in  his  first  epistle,  written  about 
A.  D.  63,  "  Yet  if  any  man  suffer  as  a  Chi'istian^  let 
him  not  be  ashamed"  (1  Peter,  iv.  16). 


288  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

The  names  which  the  Jews  gave  them,  were  in- 
tended as  names  of  reproach ;  such  as  Galileans 
(Acts,  ii.  T),  and  N'asarines  (x^cts,  xxiv.  5). 

The  names  which  Christians  assumed  for  them- 
selves, and  by  M-hich  they  are  ordinarily  designated 
in  the  New  Testament  Scriptures,  are,  disciples 
(Acts,  i.  15),  hrethren  (Acts,  i.  IQ),  faithful  or  heliev- 
ers  (Acts,  ii.  44),  saints  or  holy  ones  (Acts,  ix.  13), 
elect  (2  John,  i.),  and  people  of  God  (1  Peter, 
ii.  10). 

Of  these,  the  names  most  commonly  used  in  the 
I*^ew  Testament  are  (agioi)  saints  or  holy  ones,  and 
(pistoi)  faithful,  helievers,  or  {pi  pisteuontes  or  pis- 
teusantes)  those  believing  or  those  that  believed. 
These  titles  were  in  use  among  the  Jews  before  the 
coming  of  Christ,  and  are  frequently  to  be  met  with, 
especially  the  title  saints,  in  the  Septuagint  version 
of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures,  "  Originally, 
these  terms  were  descrij^tive  of  moral  quality,  but 
in  process  of  time,  the  common  acceptation  of  them 
became  so  different  from  their  original  application, 
that  they  implied  nothmg  more  than  the  distinctive 
appellation  of  the  Christian  community,  composed 
both  of  Jews  and  Gentiles,"  '  i.  e.  they  were  used  to 
designate  the  Church  membership  of  those  to  whom 

'  Colmaa's  Ancient  Christianity,  p.  102. 


INFANT   MEMBERSHIP   RECOGNIZED.  289 

they  were  applied.  Xo  more  conclusive  evidence 
of  this  could  be  given,  than  that  afforded  in  the  fact, 
tliat  whilst  Paul  addresses  some  of  his  epistles  to  the 
Churches,  e.  g.  his  Epistle  to  the  Galatians  (Gal.  i.  2), 
his  first  and  second  Epistles  to  the  Thessalonians 
(I  Thes.  i.  1,  and  2  Thes.  i.  1),  he  addresses  others 
to  '■^he  saints,^^  or  ^'saints  and  faith  if xtl^''  e.  y.  his 
Epistle  to  the  Romans  (Rom.  i.  7),  his  first  and 
second  Epistles  to  the  Corinthians  (1  Cor.  i.  2,  and  2 
Cor.  i.  1),  and  his  epistles  to  the  Ephesians  (Eph.  i.  1), 
the  Philippians  (Phil,  i,  1),  and  the  Colossians 
(Col.  i.  2). 

In  tliis,  the  earlier  Christian  Fathers  followed  the 
usage  of  the  Aj^ostles.  The  titles  Saint  and  Faith- 
ful or  Believer,  were  given  by  them  to  very  young 
children,  not  as  persons  regenerated  by  the  Holy 
Spirit,  or  who  had  believed  to  the  salvation  of  the 
soul,  as  the  advocates  of  baptismal  regeneration  con- 
tend, but  as  those  who  had  been  separated  unto 
God's  service,  and  admitted  to  tlie  visible  Church. 
For  abundant  evidence  of  the  use  of  these  terms,  in 
this  sense,  the  reader  is  referred  to  "  Taylor's  Facts 
and  Evidences,"  pp.  100-113.' 

'  Among  other  instances,  Taylor  quotes  certain  sepulchral  inscrip- 
tions, copied  from  the  Catacombs  at  Rome,  dating  back  to  the  time 
of  the  primitive  persecutions,  such  as,  "  Cyriacus,  a  faithful  or  be- 
liever^ died,  aged  eight  days  less  than  three  years." 

13 


290  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

And  here,  we  ask  the  reader  to  notice  just  what 
it  is  for  which  we  contend,  respecting  the  use  of  the 
terms  saints  and  faithful  or  believers.  It  is  not  that 
they  are  always  nsed  in  the  sense  of  Church  mem- 
bers ;  but  that  they  are  often  used  in  this  sense  (as 
when  used  by  Paul  in  the  address  of  several  of  his 
epistles),  and  that  we  are  to  determine,  in  each  par- 
ticular instance,  whether  they  are  used  in  this  or 
their  original  sense,  by  an  examination  of  the  con- 
text. In  other  words,  that  these  titles  were  used  in 
the  Apostles'  day  very  much  as  we  use  the  title 
Christian  at  the  present  day. 

As  instances  of  the  use  of  the  terms  {agioi)  saints 
or  holy  ones  and  {pistoi)  faithful  or  believers,  in  the 
sense  of  Church  members,  and  their  application  to 
children,  we  quote,  Eph.  i.  1 ;  Col.  i.  1,  2  ;  Titus, 
i.  6,  7  ;  1  Cor.  vii.  14. 


§  58.  Ephesians  1. 1,  and  Colossians  1. 1,  2. 

Eph.  i.  ver.  1.  "  Paul,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ, 
by  the  will  of  God,  to  the  saints  which  are  at 

"  Eustafia  the   mother,  places  this  in  commemoration  of  her  son 
Polychromio,  a/ai<A/i<^  or  believer,  who  Uved  three  years." 

"  Urcia  Florentia,  a  faithful  or  believer,  rests  here  in  peace.     She 
lived  five  years,  eight  months  and  eight  days." 

Taylor's  "  Facts  and  Evidences,''''  p.  106. 


INFANT   MEMBKRSniP    RECOGNIZED.  291 

Ephesus,  and  to  the  faithfuV  {^isfois,   he- 
lievers),  "  in  Christ  Jesus." 
YI.  1.  "  Children^  obey  yonr  parents  in  the  Lord, 
for  this  is  right. 

2.  Honor  thy  father  and  mother  (which  is  the  first 

commandment  with  promise). 

3.  That  it  may  be   well   with  thee,  and  that   thou 

mayest  live  long  on  the  earth." 
Col.  i.  ver.  1.  "  Paul,  an  Apostle  of  Jesus  Christ,  by 

the  will  of  God,  and  Timotheus  our  brother. 
2.  To  the  saints  and  faithfuV^  {believing)  ^^ brethren 

in  Christ  which  are  at  Colosse." 
III.  20.  "  Children,  obey  your  j)arents  in  all  things  : 

for  this  is  well  pleasing  unto  the  Lord." 

These  two  passages  are  here  placed  together,  be- 
cause the  case  presented  in  both  is  substantially  the 
same,  and  that  case  may  be  thus  stated  : 

Paul  addresses  an  epistle  to  certain  persons  at 
Ephesus,  whom  he  styles  ^^  saints  and  faithfuls ''^'  in 
Christ  Jesus.  After  explaining  certain  Gospel 
truths,  in  which  he  deems  it  important  that  they 
should  be  more  fully  instructed  than  they  have  yet 
been ;— Toward  the  close  of  the  Epistle,  he  takes 
occasion  to  give  some  advice  and  admonition  of  a 

'  "We  use  the  iarms  faithful  and  faithfuls  as  nouns,  in  conformity 
with  the  use  of  the  corresponding  terms  in  the  Greek. 


292  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

more  practical  character.  This  advice,  instead  of 
being  addressed  to  the  Church  as  a. body,  is  addressed 
specifically  to  the  several  classes  of  persons  who 
make  up  the  Church,  or  the  body  of  saints  and  faith- 
fuls at  Ephesus. 

He  first  addresses  himself  to  wives  and  husbands. 
Is,  now,  the  question  asked,  What  wives  and  hus- 
bands ?  we  answer,  Those  that  are  saints  and  faith- 
fuls ;  as  is  determined  by  the  address  of  the  Epistle. 
And  this,  our  conclusion,  is  confirmed,  by  the  argu- 
ments with  which  Paul  enforces  the  duties  enjoined. 
"  Therefore,  as  the  Church  is  subject  unto  Christ,  so 
let  the  wives  be  to  their  own  husbands  in  every- 
thing. Husbands,  love  your  wives,  even  as  Christ 
also  loved  the  Church,  and  gave  himself  for  it." 
(Eph.  V.  24,  25.)  For  Paul  to  address  such  argu- 
ments as  these  to  the  heathen,  or  to  any  other  hus- 
bands and  wives  than  such  as  were  "saints  and 
faithfuls,"  would  be  folly. 

He  afterwards  addresses  himself  to  servants  and 
masters.  Is  now  the  question  asked,  What  servants 
and  masters  ?  we  answer  as  before.  Those  that  are 
"  saints  and  faithfuls,"  as  is  determined  by  the  ad- 
dress of  the  epistles.  And  here,  again,  the  argu- 
ments by  which  Paul  enforces  the  duties  enjoined 
confirm  the  conclusion.  "  Servants  be  obedient  to 
them  that  are  your  masters,  according  to  the  flesh, 


INFANT   MEMBEESHIP    EECOGNIZKD.  293 

with  fear  and  trembling,  in  singleness  of  your  heart 
as  unto  Christ.  And  ye  masters,  do  the  same  things 
unto  them,  forbearing  threatening ;  knowing  that 
Tour  Master  also  is  in  heaven  ;  neither  is  there  any 
respect  of  persons  with  him."  (Eph.  vi.  5,  9.)  Such 
arguments  could  have  no  influence  with  heathen 
servants  and  masters.  And,  as  if  to  make  this  mat- 
ter more  plain,  he  follows  np  his  address  to  these 
several  classes  of  persons  with,  "  Finally,  my  hrethren^ 
be  strong  in  the  Lord,  and  in  the  p>ower  of  his  might" 
(v.  10). 

Between  his  address  to  wives  and  husbands,  and 
that  to  servants  and  masters,  Paul  addresses  himself 
to  cJiildren  and  jparents.  Does  any  one  ask.  What 
children  and  parents?  we  answer  in  this,  as  in  the 
other  cases,  to  such  as  are  saints  and  faithfuls,  as  is 
determined  by  the  address  of  the  Epistle.  And  this, 
our  conclusion,  is  confirmed  by  Paul's  arguments, 
"  Children,  obey  your  parents  in  the  Lord  j  for  this 
is  right.  Honor  thy  father  and  mother  (which  is  the 
jSrst  commandment  with  promise).  And  ye  fathers, 
provoke  not  your  children  to  wrath  ;  but  bring  them 
up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord." 
(Eph.  vi.  1,  0,  3.) 

Let  us  suppose  an  analogous  case.  A  person  who 
has  long  been  interested  in  the  growth  of  the  city  of 
Xorfoik,  and  has  labored  so  much  and  so  faitlifully 


294:  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

to  promote  its  growth,  as  to  be  regarded  with  great 
respect  by  the  inhabitants  of  that  city,  has,  in  his  old. 
age,  published  a  letter  addressed.  To  the  Citizens  of 
Norfolk.  In  this  letter,  after  dwelling  npon  certain 
matters  which  concern  the  general  growth  of  the 
city,  and  to  which  it  becomes  all  alike  to  give  heed ; 
toward  the  close  of  his  letter,  he  gives  certain  specific 
advice,  to  "  merchants  and  mechanics,"  to  "  the  rich 
and  to  the  poor,"  to  "  masters  and  servants."  Would 
any  one  hesitate  to  understand  the  advice  "  to  mer- 
chants and  mechanics,"  as  intended  for  such  mer- 
chants and  mechanics  as  were  citizens  of  I^orfolk  ? 

Supposing,  now,  that  two  thousand  years  after 
this  letter  is  written,  the  question  should  arise,  "Were 
mechanics  admitted  to  the  rights  of  citizenship  in 
^Norfolk  two  thousand  years  ago  ?  This  .letter  is  pro- 
duced ;  no  one  questions  its  genuineness  or  its  authen- 
ticity. The  letter  bears  the  superscription,  To  the 
Citizens  of  Norfolk.  Attention  is  called  to  the  fact, 
that  in  the  course  of  the  letter,  not  only  "  the  rich 
and  the  poor,"  "  masters  and  servants,"  are  specifi- 
cally addressed,  but  also  "merchants  and  mechanics.'''' 
"Would  not  this  fact  alone  be  decisive  of  the  question 
with  every  ingenuous  inquirer  ? 

To  the  idea  that  the  children  here  addressed  were 
such  as  had  been  received  into  the  Church  upon  their 
own  credible  profession  of  faith,  we  object. 


ENFANT   MEMBERSHIP   RECOGNIZED,  295 

1.  TJie  duty  enjoined  upon  children,  "  obey  your 
parents  in  the  Lord,"  is  a  dutj  binding  upon  chil- 
dren from  the  first  dawn  of  moral  agency,  and  is 
enforced  by  reference  to  the  fifth  commandment, 
"Honor  thy  father  and  thy  mother,"  a  command- 
ment confessedly  binding  from  the  same  period  of 
life.  And  both  the  duty  enjoined,  and  the  command- 
ment by  which  it  is  enforced,  have  an  especial  refer- 
ence to  early  childhood. 

2.  The  exhortation  addressed  to  fathers,  which  is 
but  the  counterpart  of  that  addressed  to  children, 
would  be  out  of  place  if  the  children  were  grown,  or 
nearly  so.  "  And  ye  fathers,  bring  them  up  in  the 
nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord."  If  they  were 
already  intelligent  believers,  prepared  to  be  received 
into  the  Church  upon  their  own  credible  profession 
of  faith,  "  bringing  up  in  the  nurture  and  admonition 
of  the  Lord  "  would  be  no  longer  needed  by  them ; 
the  time  for  such  treatment  on  the  part  of  the  parent 
would  be  passed.  But  understand  Paul  to  speak  of 
children  in  the  ordinary  acceptation  of  that  term, 
and  children  who  had  been  bi-ought  into  the  Church, 
entered  in  the  school  of  Christ,  as  children  were 
under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation,  and  no  more 
appropriate  exhortation  could  be  addressed  to  their 
believing  parents  than  "  bring  them  up  in  the  nur- 
ture and  admonition  of  the  Lord."     This  is  just  the 


296  THE    SUBJECTS    OF    BAPTISM. 

sum  and  the  substance  of  the  parent's  covenant  en- 
gagements with  respect  to  his  children,  in  taking 
Jehovah  to  be  "  the  God  of  his  seed  after  him,"  as 
well  as  "  his  God." 

As  already  remarked,  the  case  presented  in  the 
Epistle  to  the  Colossians  is  substantially  the  same 
with  that  presented  in  Ephesians,  the  case  which  we 
have  been  examining.  In  these  two  Epistles,  then, 
and  they  are  the  only  ones  in  which  Paul  specifies 
different  classes  of  persons  as  making  up  the  churches 
addressed,  he  mentions  children  among  those  classes. 


§  59.  Titus,  I.  6. 

Yer.  6.  "If  any  be  blameless,  the  husband  of  one 
wife,  having  faithful  ihelieving)  children,  not 
accused  of  riot,  or  unruly. 

T.  For  a  bishop  must  be  blameless,  as  the  steward  of 
God," 

Compare  with  this,  1.  Timothy,  iii.  4,  5.    A  bishop 
then  must  be, 

4.  "  One  that  ruleth  well  his  own  house,  having  his 

children  in  subjection  with  all  gravity : 

5.  (For  if  a  man  know  not  how  to  rule  his   own 


INFANT   i>rEMBERSHIP   KECOGNIZED.  297 

house,  liow  shall  he  take  care  of  the  Church 
of  God.)" 

Doddridge  paraphrases  this  passage,  "  And  let 
Jiim  be  one  that  hath  believing  children,  if  he  have 
any  that  are  grown  '^^^." 

The  interpolation  of  a  phrase  which  so  completely 
sets  aside  the  natural  meaning  of  the  text,  as  this 
does,  is  taking  a  liberty  with  the  Word  of  God, 
which  nothing  but  the  most  obvious  necessity  can 
justify ;  and  for  which,  even  then,  we  should  have 
very  clear  authority  from  the  context.  If  we  disre- 
gard this  plain  rule  of  interpretation,  the  Word  of 
God  may  be  made  to  teach  whatever  the  expositor 
pleases.  No  such  necessity  exists  in  the  case  before 
us.  If  we  understand  ''''faithful  childrei'C  here,  in 
the  sense  of  children  that  are  Church  members,  we 
get  an  intelligible  interpretation  of  the  text  without 
adding  one  word  to  what  Paul  has  written,  or  taking 
one  word  from  it. 

In  favor  of  this  interpretation,  we  urge  : 

1.  It  assigns  to  the  word  "faithful"  a  common 
Scriptural  sense  of  that  word  ;  and  to  the  word 
"  children"  its  most  common  signification. 

2.  It  harmonizes  Paul's  directions  respecting  the 
qualifications  of  a  bishop,  given  to  Titus,  with  those 
given  to  Timothy,  directions  wliich  were  undoubtedly 

13* 


298  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

intended  to  be  one  in  meaning.  To  "  rnle  well  one's 
own  house,  having  his  children  in  subjection  with  all 
gravity,"  in  the  Scriptural  sense  of  the  word  rule 
(see  Kom.  xiii.  3),  is  to  "  bring  up  one's  children  in 
the  nurture  and  admonition  of  the  Lord,"  and  this 
is  just  what  a  parent  covenants  to  do  when  his 
children  are  made  "  faithful,"  are  entered  as  infant 
members  in  the  Church  of  God. 

3.  It  makes  the  fitness  of  a  person,  for  the  office 
of  a  bishop,  to  depend  upon  something  for  which  he 
can  properly  be  held  responsible,  and  not  upon  some- 
thing which  rests  with  a  sovereign  God  alone.  No 
parent  can  be  held  directly  responsible  for  the  true 
conversion  of  his  child  to  God.  But  every  parent 
may  most  properly  be  held  responsible  for  entering 
into  covenant  with  God  on  behalf  of  his  children, 
and  for  the  faithful  discharge  of  his  covenant  obli- 
gations. There  can  be  no  clearer  evidence  that  such 
is  the  common  view  of  parental  responsibilities  en- 
tertained by  the  Church  at  large,  than  the  fact  that 
no  Church  has  ever  obeyed  this  injunction  of  Paul 
in  the  sense  which  Doddridge  and  most  Baptist 
expositors  give  it.  There  are  bishops  (in  the  Scrip- 
tural sense  of  the  term  bishop)  in  all  our  Christian 
Churches,  having  children  "  that  are  grown  up  "  and 
yet  unconverted,  and  no  one  thinks  of  this  as  dis- 
qualifying them  for  holding  the  office  of  a  bisliop. 


INFANT   MEMBERSHIP    RECOGNIZED,  299 


Ver.  12.  "  If  any  brother  have  a  wife  that  believeth 
not,  and  she  be  pleased  to  dwell  with  him,  let 
him  not  put  her  away. 

13.  And  the  woman  that  hath  a  husband  that  be- 

lieveth not,  and  if  he  be  pleased  to  dwell 
with  her,  let  her  not  leave  him. 

14.  For  the  unbelieving  husband  is  sanctified  by  the 

wife,  and  the  unbelieving  wife  is  sanctified 
by  the  husband :  else  were  your  children  un- 
clean, but  now  are  they  holy  "  {agia^  saints 
or  holy  ones). 

The  law  of  Moses  expressly  prohibited  the  inter- 
marriage of  the  Jews  witli  the  heathen  Canaanites. 
This  law  is  recorded  in  Deut.  vii.  2-4.  "  And  when 
the  Lord  thy  God  shall  deliver  them  before  thee, 
thou  shalt  smite  them  and  utterly  destroy  them, 
thou  shalt  make  no  covenant  with  them  nor  shew 
mercy  upon  them ;  neither  shalt  thou  make  mar- 
riages with  them ;  thy  daughter  thou  shalt  not  give 
unto  his  son,  nor  his  daughter  shalt  thou  take  unto 
thy  son.  For  they  will  turn  away  thy  son  from  fol- 
lowing me,  that  they  may  serve  other  gods."  Un- 
der this  law,  Ezra  required  the  Jew  who  had  mar- 


300  THE   SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

ried  a  wife  from  among  the  Canaanites,  not  only  to 
put  away  liis  wife,  but  required  that  the  children  be 
sent  away  with  their  heathen  mother  (Ezra,  x.  3). 
Such  a  law  as  this  was  in  perfect  keeping  with  the 
spirit  of  the  Mosaic  economy,  one  great  object  of 
which  was,  to  keep  the  Israelites  apart,  a  separate 
nation  in  the  earth,  until  the  coming  of  Christ. 

Most  of  the  diflerences  about  doctrine  which  har- 
rassed  the  Church  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  ori- 
ginated in  the  over-zealous,  and  often  mistaken 
attachment  of  the  converted  Jews  to  the  law  of 
Moses.  Bearing  these  facts  in  mind,  it  will  be  no 
matter  of  surprise  to  us  that  in  the  Church  at 
Corinth — a  Christian  Churcli,  in  the  midst  of  a 
heathen  city,  and  yet  embracing  among  its  members 
many  converted  Jews  (see  Acts,  xviii.  1-17) — the 
difhculty,  which  Paul  is  here  resolving,  should 
have  arisen.  That  difficulty  is  about  the  continuance 
of  the  marriage  connection  between  a  believing  hus- 
band or  wife,  and  an  unbelieving  partner. 

That  difficulty  Paul  resolves  in  v.  12,  13,  "  If  any 
brother  hath  a  wife  that  belie veth  not,  and  she  be 
23leased  to  dwell  with  him,  let  him  not  put  her  away. 
And  the  woman  that  hath  a  husband  that  believeth 
not,  and  if  he  be  pleased  to  dwell  with  her,  let  her 
not  leave  him."  Then,  in  v.  14,  as  we  understand 
him,  Paul  gives — 1st.  A  reason  for  this  decision  of 


INFAJSTT   MEMBERSHIP    RECOGNIZED.  301 

his^  "for  the  uubelieviug  husband  is  sanctified  by  " 
(or  to^  McKnight)  "  the  wife,  and  the  unbelieving 
wife  is  sanctified  by"  (or  to)  "  the  husband."  And, 
2d.  A  statement  of  a  fact,  which,  u-pon  admitted 
Jewish  principles,  pi'oved  his  reason  fm'  his  decision 
to  he  a  valid  one,  "  else  were  your  children  unclean, 
but  now  are  they  holy :" — the  expression  "  else^'' 
{epei  ara,  othenoise,  certainly,  McKnight)  marking 
this  connection  between  the  latter  clause  and  the  one 
preceding  it. 

The  use  of  the  word  "  sanctify'''  {agiazo)  in  the 
sense  of  Jpurify,  cleanse,  is  very  common  in  the 
Septuagint  version  of  the  Old  Testament  Scriptures 
(see  Lev.  viii.  10, 15,  30),  and  in  the  same  sense  it  is 
frequently  used  by  Paul  (see  1  Tim.  iv.  5  ;  Heb. 
ix.  13).  An  unclean  {unsanctified)  person  was  one 
who  might  not  be  associated  with  by  God 's  people. 
"And  Peter  said  unto  them" — i.  e.  Cornelius  and 
those  assembled  in  the  house — "  Ye  know  how  it  is 
an  unlawful  thing  for  a  man  that  is  a  Jew  to  keep 
company  with,  or  come  unto,  one  of  another  nation, 
but  God  hath  shewed  me  that  I  should  not  call  any 
man  common  or  unclean''''  (Acts,  x.  28).  When, 
then,  Paul  affirms,  "  the  unbelieving  husband 
is  sanctified  Jy "  (or  to)  "the  wife;"  he  means 
that  such  a  husband  is    rendered  fit   for   intimate 


302  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

association  with,  to  the  wife.  This  is  just  what  he 
needs  to  affirm  in  solving  the  difficulty  which  has 
been  prepensed  to  him. 

Then  follows  Paul's  proof  of  what  he  ]ias  just 
affirmed,  "f^Z.se"  (otherwise,  certainly)  "were  your 
children  unclean,  but  now  are  they  liolyP  The  law 
of  Mu.<es,  which  had  given  rise  to  the  difficulty,  both 
by  the  terms  of  the  law  and  the  decision  of  Ezra, 
includes  the  child  with  the  heathen  parent  in  the 
same  condemnation.  As  both  stand  or  fall  together, 
the  condition  of  the  one  may  be  inferred  from  that 
of  the  other,  ISTow,  it  is  the  unquestioned  practice  of 
the  Churcli  to  treat  the  children  of  such  a  marriage 
not  ?.%  unclean^  i.  e.  unfit  to  be  associated  with,  but 
as  dea7i  /  they  are  admitted  to  membership  in  the 
Clini-ch  of  God,  and  thus  become  holr/  {agia,  saints). 
Upon  Jewish  principles,  then,  it  is  evident  from  this 
fact,  that  the  unbelieving  husband  or  wife  ought  to 
be  acciiunted  "  sanctified  hy  (or  to)  the  believing 
partner. 

it  has  been  objected  to  this  interpretation,  that  as 
the  words  holy  {agia\  and  sanctify  {agiazo\  are 
words  from  the  same  root,  they  must  have  the  same 
signification  ;  and,  consequently,  if  the  application 
of  the  term  lioly  to  the  children  teaches  their  Churcli 
membership,  the   application  of  the  term  sanctify 


INFANT   MEMBERSniP.  303 

to  the  heathen  parents  must  teach  their  Church 
membership  also.  To  tliis  we  reply,  such  a  conse- 
quence as  this  by  no  means  follows.  It  is  a  very 
common  thing,  in  every  language,  for  a  noun  to  ac- 
quire a  secondary  meaning,  whilst  the  corresponding 
verb  retains  its  primitive  meaning  alone;  and  so 
also  for  a  verb  to  be  used  in  a  secondary  sense,  in 
which  the  corresponding  noun  never  occurs.'  In 
the  case  before  us,  we  assign  to  the  noun  agia  a  se- 
condary sense.  Of  its  use  in  the  New  Testament,  in 
this  sense,  we  have  already  given  abundant  proof 
(see  §  57).  In  this  sense  the  verb  agiazo  is  never 
used,  we  believe,  by  the  sacred  writers. 

In  support  of  the  interpretation  which  we  have 
given  this  passage,  we  urge :  (1,)  It  assigns  to  the 
words  "  sanctify.,  unclean.,  holy^''  a  sense  in  which 
they  are  very  frequently  used  in  the  N"ew  Testament. 
(2,)  It  gives  to  the  whole  passage  a  meaning,  which 
is  not  only  j)ertinent  to  the  position  which  it  dccu- 
pies  in  Paul's  solution  of  the  difficulty  proposed  to 
him  (and  this  cannot  be  said  of  any  other  interpre- 
tation wliicli  we  have  seen),  but  it  makes,  v.  14,  a 

'  Thus,  in  English,  as  secondary  meanings  of  the  norm  TFasA, 
Webster  gives,  -'2,  A  bog,  marsh  or  fen.  3,  A  cosmetic.  6.  Waste 
liquor  of  a  kitchen,  for  hogs.  10,  The  blade  of  an  oar."  The 
verb  wash  has  no  secondary  meanings  corresponding  to  these. 


304  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

decisive  argument  in  support  of  that  solution. 
(3,)  It  presents  us,  in  this  passage,  an  eminently 
Pauline  argument ;  a  solution  of  a  Jewish  difficulty 
upon  admitted  Jewish  principles. 


FAMILY    BAPTISMS.  305 


CIIAPTEK  Yin. 

§  61.    FAMILY   BAPTISMS. 

Acts,  svi.  14,  15,  and  32-84 ;  1  Cor.  i.  13-17. 

§  61.  Family  Baptisms. 

Acts,  xvi.  Ver.  14.  "  And  a  certain  woman,  named 
Lydia,  a  seller  of  purple,  of  tlie  city  of  Thya- 
tira,  wliich  worshipped  God,  heard  us  :  whose 
heart  the  Lord  opened,  that  she  attended  unto 
the  things  spoken  of  Paul. 

15.  And  when  she  was  baptized,  and  her  household 
ipikos)^  she  besought  us,  saying.  If  ye  have 
judged  me  to  be  faithful  to  the  Lord,  come 
into  my  house,  and  abide  there.  And  she 
constrained  us." 

Yer.  32.  "  And  they  spake  unto  him  (the  jailer)  the 
word  of  the  Lord,  and  to  all  that  were  in  his 
house  ipihia). 

33.  And  he  took  them  the  same  hour  of  the  night, 
and  washed  their  stripes ;  and  was  baptized, 
he  and  all  his  straightway. 


306  THK    SUBJECTS    OF    BAPTISM. 

34.  And  when  lie  had  brought  them  into  his  honse 
(oiAvs),  he  set  meat  before  them,  and  rejoiced, 
believing  in  God  with  all  his  house"  (literally, 
"he  rejoiced  with  all  his  family  {oikos),  he 
believing  in  the  Lord.") 

1  Cor.  i.,  Yer.l3.  "Is  Christ  divided?  Was  Paul 
crucified  for  yon  ?  or  were  ye  baptized  in  the 
name  of  Panl  ? 

14.  I  thank  God  that  I  baptized  none  of  you,  but 

Crispus  and  Gains ; 

15.  Lest  any  should  say  that  I  had  baptized  in  mine 

own  name. 

16.  And  I  baptized  also  the  household  (oikos)  of 

Stephanas ;   besides,  I  know  not  whether  I 
baptized  any  other. 

17.  For  Christ  sent  me  not  to  baptize,  but  to  preach 

the  Gospel." 

1.  In  examining  the  account  of  the  baptism  of  the 
jailer,  in  Part  II.  (see  §  44),  we  had  occasion  to 
remark  that  there  were  two  different  words  in  the 
Greek,  which,  in  our  English  version,  are  indiscrimi- 
nately translated  hoKse  and  household.  The  one, 
oikos,  in  its  primary  sense,  signifying  a  house,  in  our 
English  use  of  that  word,  and  in  its  secondary  sense, 
meaning  a  family,  excluding  servants  and  attendants. 
The  other,  oikia,  in  its  primary  sense  corresponding. 


FAMILY    BAPTISMS.  ?''. 

very  nearly,  to  our  English  word  premises,  and,  in 
its  secondary  sense,  meaning  a  family,  including  ser- 
vants and  attendants.  Tlie  firsr-mentioned  of  these 
words  (oikos)  is  the  word  nsed  to  designate  those 
who  were  baptized  with  Lydia,  the  jailer,  and 
Stephanas. 

Such  is  the  common  use  of  the  word  oikos  /  it  is 
never  nsed  in  a  more  extended  sense,  but  sometimes 
in  the  more  restricted  sense  of  children,  i.  e.  the 
family,  excluding  the  parents.  "  And  Dathan  and 
Abiram  came  out  and  stood  in  the  door  of  their  tents, 
and  their  wives,  and  their  sons,  and  their  little  chil- 
dren. And  the  earth  opened  her  mouth  and  swal- 
lowed them  up,  and  their  houses  (oikos),  and  all  the 
men  that  appertained  unto  Korah,  and  all  their 
goods."  (Numb.  xvi.  27,  42.)  "  Thus  saith  the  Lord, 
Behold,  I  will  raise  up  evil  against  thee  (David)  out 
of  thine  own  house''''  (oikos).  (2  Sam.  xii.  11.)  A 
threatening  fulfilled  in  the  rebellion  of  David's  son 
Absalom.  "One  that  ruleth  well  his  own  house 
(oikos),  having  his  children  in  subjection  with  all 
gravity."  (1  Tim.  iii.  4.)  Such  is  the  word  used  by 
the  sacred  writers  in  recording  the  fainily  baptisms, 
which  accompanied  the  baptism  of  Lydia,  the  jailer, 
and  Stephanas. 

2.  In  the  words  of  Dr.  N.  L.  Eice,  "  We  do  not 
undertake  to  prove  that  there  were  infants  in  these 


308  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

families.  We  simply  call  attention  to  the  remark- 
able fact,  that  the  inspired  historian  mentions  the 
conversion  of  the  head  of  the  family,  and  saj^s 
nothing  of  the  conversion  of  the  family,  but  does  say 
they  were  baptized.  If  he  was  a  Pedo-Baptist,  and 
if  the  infants  of  those  families  were  baptized,  he  wrote 
just  as  he  might  have  been  expected  to  write.  The 
fact  is  truly  remarkable,  that  amongst  anti-Pedo-Bap- 
tists  we  find  no  such  records  of  the  bajjtism  of  fami- 
lies. Some  years  ago,  I  took  occasion  to  present  to 
the  consideration  of  some  Baptist  editors  this  singular 
discrepancy  between  the  manner  of  recording  bap- 
tisms adopted  by  Luke  and  that  adopted  by  Baptists, 
and  called  on  them  to  produce  among  their  accounts 
of  baptisms  a  record  like  that  in  the  case  of  Lydia. 
They  succeeded  in  finding  a  few  baptisms  of  whole 
families,  but  they  had  been  so  unfortunate  as  to 
mention  the  conversion  of  the  members  of  the  fami- 
lies, as  well  as  their  haptism.  They,  tlierefore,  failed 
to  find  any  record  like  that  of  Luke.  One  tiling  is 
certain,  we  write  as  Luke  wrote,  and  our  anti-Pedo- 
Baptist  friends  do  not.  Would  it  not  be  truly  won- 
derful, should  it  turn  out  to  be  true,  that  those  who 
write  like  Luke,  do  not  act  like  him ;  whilst  those 
who  do  not  write  like  him  are'the  very  persons  who 
do  act  like  him  ?" 

"But,"  says  Dr.  Carson,  in  reply  to  this  argument. 


FAMILY   BAPTISMS.  309 

"  there  are  not  now  any  examples  of  the  abundant 
success  that  the  Gospel  had  in  the  Apostles'  days. 
We  do  not  find  tliat  men  believe  by  households  more 
than  they  are  baptized  by  households.  I  suppose 
that  the  Baptist  missionaries  have  a  haptized  house- 
hold as  often  as  they  have  a  helicving  household.'''' 
Just  so.  But  the  Apostles  had  household  baptisms, 
iu  cases  where,  so  far  as  the  record  shows,  there  were 
no  believing  households.  This,  precisely,  is  the 
difference  between  the  Apostles  and  the  Baptists. 
The  latter,  it  is  true,  have  baptized  families ;  but 
then,  in  giving  an  account  of  these  baptisms,  they 
always  mention  the  faith,  not  only  of  the  head  of 
the  family,  but  of  all  the  members.  The  Apostles 
baptized  families  :  and  in  their  account  of  them  they 
mention  the  faith  of  the  lieads,  but  not  of  the  mem- 
bers. Dr.  Carson  entirely  fails  to  account  for  this 
difference.  If  the  Apostles  were  Pedo-Baptists,  all 
is  plain  ;  if  not,  the  fact  that  they  wrote  so  little  like 
Baptists,  and  so  much  like  Pedo-Baptists,  is  unac- 
countable." ' 

3.  The  number  of  these  records  of  family  Bap- 
tisms is  sometimes  spoken  of  as  if  it  were  inconsi- 
derable, when  compared  with  the  whole  number  of 
baptisms  recorded  in  the  Word  of  God.     And  the 

^  Dr.  K  L.  Rice  on  Baptism,  pp.  254,  256, 


310  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM, 

question  is  asked,  Why  is  it,  if  family  baptism  M^as 
practised  in  the  days  of  the  Apostles,  like  family 
circumcision  under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation, 
that  we  have  so  few  recorded  instances  of  it  in  the 
New  Testament  Scriptures  ?  To  this  we  reply — The 
number  of  such  records  (when  the  matter  is  fairly 
examined),  does  not  appear  inconsiderable.  So  far 
from  it — in  every  instance  in  which  we  have  a  right 
to  expect  such  a  record,  on  the  supposition  that  the 
Apostles  were  Pedo-Baptists  in  practice,  in  every 
instance  in  which,  at  the  present  day,  and  under  a 
Presbyterian  ministry,  there  would  be  occasion  to 
make  such  a  record,  we  find  a  record  of  a  family 
baptism  in  the  Word  of  God. 

In  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles,  the  only  book  in  the 
'New  Testament  in  which  we  have  any  particular 
narrative  of  Christian  baptisms,  we  have  nine 
records  of  baptisms,  less  or  more,  particularly  given 
us.  Kow  let  the  reader  notice:  1.  Two  of  these  are 
records  of  the  baptism  of  persons  having  no 
children,  no  family  {oikos)  to  be  baj^tized,  viz. :  The 
Ethiopian  eunuch,  and  Paul.  (See  1  Cor.  vii.  T.) 
2.  Five  are  records  of  the  baptism  of  large  numbers 
at  the  same  time,  and  on  the  spot  where  they  have 
been  hopefully  converted,  imder  the  preaching  of 
the  Gospel,  viz. ;  The  three  thousand  on  the  day  of 
Pentecost — the  people  of  Samaria,  including  Simon 


FAMILY    BAPTISMS.  311 

Magus — the  disciples  of  John  at  Ephesns — the 
"many  Corinthians,"  inchidino;  Steplianas,  and  Cor- 
nelius and  those  gathered  in  his  house  to  hear  Peter, 
In  such  cases  as  these,  at  the  present  day,  and  under 
a  Pedo-Baptist  ministry,  there  would  be  no  family 
baptisms  at  the  time  (men  do  not  carry  their  infant 
children  into  crowded  assemblies  with  them),  al- 
though there  would  be  afterwards.  And  this  is  just 
what  we  find  to  have  been  the  fact,  in  one  of  these 
five  cases,  viz.:  The  baptism  of  the  "many  Corin- 
thians." By  comparing  Acts,  xviii.  8,  with  1  Cor. 
i.  16,  it  will  be  seen  that  the  household  of  Stephanas 
was  baptized  by  Paul,  in  all  probability  on  a  diffe- 
rent occasion,  and  shortly  after  Stephanas  himself, 
with  the  "many"  other  converted  Jews,  had  been 
baptized  in  the  synagogue.  3.  The  remaining  two^ 
viz.,  the  baptism  of  Lydia  and  of  the  jailer,  are  dis- 
tinctly recorded  as  family  baptisms. 


312  THE   SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 


SUMMING    UP  —  CONCLUSION. 

We  have  now  examined  all  the  passages  of  Scrip- 
ture, thought,  either  by  Baptists  or  Pedo-Baptists,  to 
throw  light  upon  the  question  respecting  the  proper 
subjects  of  baptism.  Let  us  bring  together  the 
results  of  this  examination, 

First.  Ill  tracing  back  the  history  of  the  Cliurch, 
as  given  us  in  the  AVord  of  God,  we  find  infant-mem- 
bers included  in  that  Church,  even  before  the  days 
of  Abraham;  each  pious  family  constituting  a  little 
Church,  of  which  the  father  was  the  ofiiciating 
priest,  and  all  the  cliildren  members.  When  God 
gave  his  Church  her  formal  charter,  in  his  covenant 
with  Abraham,  this  right  of  infant  membership  is 
expressly  and  solemnly  established;  and  this,  with- 
out any  intimation  that  it  should  ever  cease.  §  50, 

Second.  The  visible  Church  of  God  has  ever  been 
essentially  one  and  the  same;  has  had  the  same 
charter — God's  covenant  with  Abraham;  has  pos- 
sessed the  same  character — a  school  of  Christ ; — the 
first  ChHstian  Church  ever  existing  upon  earth 
being  simply  the  Old  Testament  Cliurch,  purged  of 
the  Apostasy,  as  is  evident  from  the  histoiy  of  that 
Church,  as  is  given  us  in  the  Acts,  and  the  inspired 


SUMMING   UP — CONCLUSION.  313 

representations  contained  in  the  Epistles.  §§  48,  49, 
60,  51,  53. 

Third.  Of  this  right  of  infant  membership,  thus 
existing  as  for  back  as  we  can  trace  the  history  of 
the  Church,  and  expressly  and  solemnly  established  in 
the  one  only  written  charter,  ever  given  of  God  to 
the  Church,  the  Scriptures  contain  no  repeal.  Bap- 
tist writers  have  attempted  to  show  a  repeal  by 
implication. 

1.  In  Christ's  commission  to  his  Church,  recorded 
in  Mark,  xvi.  16.  This  commission,  as  we  have 
seen,  is  simply  the  foreign  missionary  commission  of 
the  Church,  and  correctly  interpreted,  gives  no 
countenance  to  the  idea  of  any  repeal  of  infant-mem- 
bership :  nor  can  it  be  made  to  countenance  Baptist 
views,  without  making  it  teach  infant-damnation, 
and  infant-damnation  for  lack  of  baptism — doctrines 
which  the  Baptist  will  be  as  unwilling  to  admit  as 
we.  §46. 

2.  In  those  passages  of  Scripture  which  teach  the 
spiritual  import  of  baptism.  The  spiritual  import 
of  circumcision,  as  we  have  seen,  is  the  same  with 
that  of  baptism,  "the  circumcision  of  Christ."  The 
same  reasoning,  then,  which  would  give  us  hence,  a 
repeal  of  infant-membership  in  the  days  of  the 
Apostles,  would  carry  back  th'^t  repeal  to  the  days 
of  Abraham;    the  same  argument  which  will  pro- 

14 


314  THE    SUBJECTS    OF   BAPTISM. 

hibit  infant  baptism  under  the  Christian  dispensa- 
tion, will  just  as  strongly  prohibit  infant  circum- 
cision under  the  Old  Testament  dispensation.  The 
same  in  their  spiritual  import,  the  two,  in  so  far  as 
all  such  reasoning  is  concerned,  must  stand  or  fall 
together.  §  4T. 

Fourth.  The  Lord  Jesus,  the  one  head  of  the 
Church,  recognizes  infant  membership  in  the 
Church  of  God,  as  existing  in  his  day,  and  toward 
the  close  of  his  public  ministry ;  and  this,  not  only 
without  any  intimation  that  it  was  shortly  to  cease, 
but  in  such  a  way  as  clearly  to  imply  its  continu- 
ance. §  53. 

Fifth.  The  Lord  Jesus,  in  renewing  Peter's 
apostolic  commission,  does  it  in  terms  which  could 
not  but  have  recalled  to  Peter's  mind  the  rebuke  he 
had  received  for  "  forbidding  little  children  "  to  be 
brought  to  Christ ;  and  which  seem  utterly  inexpli- 
cable upon  the  supposition  that  children  are  now, 
for  the  first  time,  to  be  thrown  beyond  the  range  of 
the  Church's  pastoral  care.  §  54. 

Bixth.  Peter,  on  the  day  of  Pentecost,  when  for 
for  the  first  time  Christian  baptism  was  preached 
;imong  men,  preached  it  in  the  very  terms  of  God's 
•ovenant  with  Abraham ;  a  covenant  in  which  the 
light  of  infant  membership  is  expressly  acknow- 
ledged and  established.  §  55. 


SUMMING    UP — CONCLUSION.  315 

Seventh.  The  first  Christian  Church  ever  existing 
upon  earth,  was  constituted  of  members  received 
into  the  Church  in  infancy,  and  by  circumcision — 
was,  in  fact,  but  the  Old  Testament  Church  (a 
Church  in  which  the  right  of  infant  membership  has 
neyer  been  questioned)  purged — the  apostasy  cut 
oflF,  the  election  remaining.  If  then  I,  an  adult, 
have  a  standing  in  the  Church  of  God,  in  virtue  of  my 
infant  membership,  this  much  is  certain  ;  my  stand- 
ing is  just  such  as  the  "hundred  and  twenty" — in- 
cluding the  Apostles,  excepting  Paul — occupied  to 
the  day  of  their  death.  Does  any  Baptist  object  to 
my  Church  standing — you  were  not  baptized  when 
you  believed  in  Jesus — my  answer  is,  Neither  were 
the  Apostles.  It  is  enough  for  me  that  I  came  into 
the  Church,  and  now  stand  in  the  Church  as  they 
did.  §  52. 

Eighth.  Children  are  expressly  spoken  of  as 
Church  members,  in  the  New  Testament ;  in  defin- 
ing the  qualifications  of  a  Bishop  (§  59) ;  in  deciding 
a  question  about  the  continuance  of  a  marriage  rela- 
tion between  a  believing  husband  or  wife  and  an 
unbelieving  partner  (§  60) ;  and  in  two  of  Paul 's 
epistles  (and  these,  let  it  be  remai'ked,  the  only  two 
in  which  he  addresses  himself  to  particular  classes 
of  Church  members,)  he  addresses  himself  specifically 
to   children   as   one  of  these  classes  (§  58).     That 


316  THE   SUBJECTS   OF   BAPTISM. 

under  this  our  Christian  dispensation,  baptism  is  the 
divinely-appointed  rite  of  initiation  into  the  Church, 
just  as  circumcision  was  under  a  former  dispensa- 
tion, all  are  agreed.  Infant  membership,  then,  in- 
fers infant  baj)tism  ;  the  two  stand  or  fall  together. 

Ninth.  We  have  express  records  of  family  bap- 
tisms in  the  New  Testament,  and  these  records  made 
in  just  such  terms  as  Pedo-Baptists  are  accustomed 
to  make  their  records  at  the  present  day.  And  the 
number  of  these  records  is  not  inconsiderable.  So 
far  from  it,  in  every  instance  in  which  a  Christian 
baptism  is  recorded,  and  not  recorded  as  a  family 
baptism,  the  Scriptures  themselves  give  us  a  reason 
why  it  was  not  a  family  baptism. 


CONCLUSION. 

That  infant  membership  in  the  Church  was  estab- 
lished by  God,  in  the  days  of  Abraham,  no  one 
questions.  That  it  has  ever  been  repealed,  the 
Scriptures  contain  not  one  particle  of  proof;  but,  on 
the  contrary,  the  New  Testament  is  full  of  evidence, 
and  this  of  various  kinds,  that  this  right  continues 
as  of  old. 

The  two  grand  characteristic  truths  of  Christianity 
are — Atonement  and  Reqeneration.     And  these  two 


SUMMING   rP — CONCLUSION.  317 

tnitlis  have  been  presented  to  the  faith  of  tlie 
Church,  not  only  on  the  written  page  of  revehition, 
but  by  symbol  also,  under  every  dispensation. 

The  great  truth  of  Atonement,  once  symbolized  in 
bloody  sacrifices  before  Christ's  death,  under  this 
our  better  dispensation,  is  set  forth  in  the  bread  and 
wine  in  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord 's  Supper. 

The  other  great  truth  of  Begeneration,  under  the 
Old  Testament  dispensation  symbolized  in  all  the 
purifying  rites  appointed  of  God,  but  especially  in 
circumcision,  a  rite  most  appropriate  whilst  the  hope 
of  the  world's  regeneration  rested  upon  the  coming 
of  "  a  blessed   and  blessed-making  seed," '  is  now, 

»  "  The  general  purport  of  the  covenant"  (i.  e.  God's  covenant  with 
Abraham)  "  was,  that  from  Abraham,  as  an  individual,  there  was  to 
be  generated  a  seed  of  blessing,  in  which  all  real  blessing  was  to 
centre,  and  from  which  it  was  to  flow  to  the  ends  of  the  earth. 
There  could  not,  therefore,  be  a  more  appropriate  sign  of  the  cove- 
nant than  such  a  rite  as  circumcision— so  distinctly  connected  with 
the  generation  of  offspring,  and  so  distinctly  marking  the  necessary 
purification  of  nature— the  removal  of  the  filth  of  the  flesh— that  the 
offspring  might  be  such  as  really  to  constitute  a  seed  of  blessing.  It  is 
through  ordinary  generation  that  the  corruption  incident  to  the  fall 
is  propagated ;  and  hence,  under  the  law,  which  contained  a  regular 
system  of  symbolic  teaching,  there  were  so  many  occasions  of  defile- 
ment traced  to  this  source,  and  so  many  means  of  purification  appointed 
for  them.  Now,  therefore,  when  God  was  establishing  a  covenant,  the 
great  object  of  which  was  to  reverse  the  propagation  of  evil,  to  secure 
for  the  world  a  blessed  and  a  blessed-making  seed,  he  affixed  to  it  this 


318  THE    SUBJECTS    OF    BAPTISM. 

tliat  tlie  promised  seed  has  come,  and  prepared  the 
way  for  the  coming  of  the  Comforter,"  the  abundant 
outpouring  of  the  ]  egenerating,  sanctifying  Spirit 
of  God  as  appropriately  set  forth  in  water  baptism. 
In  its  essential  character,  the  visible  Church  of 
God  has  ever  been  the  depository  of  "  the  oracles  of 
God  "  (Rom.  iii.  2),  the  school  of  Christ,  in  which 
disciples  are  to  be  taught  "  all  things  whatsoever  he 
has  commended "  (Matt,  xxviii.  20).  The  end  in 
view,  in  all  this,  is  that  the  disciple  may  be  sancti- 
fied through  the  truth  ;  and  hence  the  initiatory  rite 
of  the  Church  has  ever  been  a  symbol  of  regenera- 
tion. Under  this  our  Christian  dispensation,  the 
child  is  born  as  much  a  sinner,  and  as  ignorant 
a  sinner,  as  under  the  old ;  and,  therefore,  need- 
ing to  be  entered  a  disciple  at  as  earl}^  an  age  now 
as  then.  And  until  it  can  be  shown  that  God  has 
changed  the  character  of  his  Church,  or  has  forbid- 
den us  to  bring  oar  children  to  Jesiis,  the  great 
Prophet,  Teacher  of  our  profession  (and  the  Scrip- 
tures give  no  countenance  to  any  such  ideas),  we 
claim  the  right  of  Church  membership,  secured  by 

symbolic  rite,  to  shew  that  the  end  was  to  be  reached,  not  as  the  result 
of  nature's  ordinary  productiveness,  but  of  nature  purged  from  its 
uncleanness — nature  raised  above  itself,  in  league  with  the  grace  of 
God,  and  bearing  on  it  the  distinctive  impress  of  his  character  and 
working." — FairbairrCs  Typology  of  Scriptures,  vol.  1,  pp.  321,  322. 


SUMMING   UP — CONCLUSION.  319 

charter  in  Abraham's  day  and  never  repealed,  to 
enter  onr  little  one's  disciples  in  Christ's  school. 

To  him  who  would  forbid  the  Christian  parent 
thus  to  do,  we  commend  the  careful  study  of  Christ's 
rebuke,  administered  to  his  disciples,  "Suffer  the 
little  children  to  come  unto  me,  and  forbid  them  not, 
for  of  such  is  the  kingdom  of  God."  §  53. 


SOKIPTURAL    IIJTDEX 


OLD    TESTAMENT. 

Genesis,  xvii.  4-8,  12, 
Deuteronomy,  xxx.  6, 
2  Kings,  V.  14, 
.i.'7, 


Ecclesiasticns,  xxxiv.  25, 
Juditli,  xii.  7, 


NEW    TESTAMENT, 


Matthew. 


III. 


VII.  1-4, 

X.  13-16, 
"   35-40, 

XI.  30, 
XVI.  15,  16, 


Luke. 


1-6, 

"   1,  8,  11. 

"    13-17, 

XIX.  13-15, 

XX.  20-23, 

XXI.  25, 
XXVIII.  19,  20, 


Mark. 


I.  4-10, 
"  9-11, 


John. 


"  28, 

III.  22-30, 
"    23, 

IV.  1,  2, 


8  24 

§  30 
§24 
§  38 

.§^ 
§39 

§5 


322 


SCRIPTURAL    INDEX. 


X.  40, 
XXI.  15, 


1.4-8, 
"  22, 

II.  1-4, 

"  16-18, 
"  32,  .33, 
"  38-41, 
"   41, 

III.  24-26, 

VIII.  12,  13, 
"      36-39, 

IX.  17-18, 

X.  37, 

"  44-48, 

XI.  15,  16, 
XIII.  24, 
XVI   14,  15, 

"      32-34, 

XVIII.  8, 

"       24-26 

XIX.  1-7, 
XXII.  12-16, 


Acts. 


Homans. 


II.  28,  29, 

III.  1,  2, 

IV.  11, 

"    11-17, 
VI.  1-6, 
IX.  8, 
XI.  18-  24, 


§34, 


1  Corinthians. 


I.  1.3-17, 
VII.  12-14, 


X.  1,  2, 
XII.  12,  13, 
XV.  29, 


§25, 


Oalatians. 


III.  7-9, 
"    26-29 


Ephe 


I.  1, 

II.  11-14, 

"   19-22, 
IV.  3-6, 
VI.  1-3, 


I.  1,  2, 

II.  10-12, 

"    11, 
"    12, 

III.  20, 


Colossians. 


§34, 


VI.  1,  2, 
IX.  9,  10, 


III.  18-22, 


Titm. 


Hebrews. 


1  Peter. 


58 


CHARLOTTE    ELIZABETH'S    WORKS.  68 


CHARLOTTE    ELIZABETH'S    WORKS. 


PERSONAL  RECOLLECTIONS,  with  a  Me 
HELEN  FLEETWOOD, 

moir,  by  H.  J.  Tonna.    1  vol.,  18eio.  . . 

.1  vol.,  ISmo 

, ..     do 

.    $0  5C 
5C 

JUDAH'S  LION,  

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JDD.EA  CAPTA, 

...     do 

50 

THE  SIEGE  OF  DERRY, 

..     do 

50 

LETTERS  FROM  IRELAND,     

..     do 

60 

THE  ROCKITE 

do 

50 

FLORAL  BIOGRAPHY, 

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50 

PRINCIPALITIES  AND  POWERS, 

..     do. 

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PASSING  THOUGHTS.             ) 

do 

66 

IZRAM,  a  Mexican  Tale,     > 

do 

60 

CONFORMITY,                              ) 
THE  CONVENT  BELL,  a  Tale,   f  • 
TIIK   ROCKITF.  ..,^.. .,.,.,..„, 

do. 

50 

CHAKLOTTE  ELTZA'RETH'S  WOEKS.     Uniform  ediMon,12  'vols.,  IS^mo. 
&r  sheep.    PWc«  |6  00. 

,mdot^ 

We  have  reocived  numerous  commendatory  notices  of  Charlotte  Elisabeth's  works, 
from  the  religiovs  papers  of  all  denominations  of  Christians  in  this  country;  and  for  tha 
benefit  of  those  who  have  not  supplied  themselves  with  her  books,  we  insert  here  a  few 
which  are  believed  to  be  a  fair  specimen  of  the  opinion  of  the  Press. 

"  Mrs.  Charlotte  Hizabeth  Tonna  is  one  of  the  most  gifted,  popular,  and  truly  instruc  ■ 
tive  writers  of  the  present  day.  In  clearness  of  thought,  variety  of  topics,  richness  of 
imagery,  and  elegance  of  expression,  it  is  scarcely  too  much  to  say,  that  she  is  the  rival 
of  Hannah  More,  or  to  predict  that  her  works  will  be  as  extensively  and  profitably  read 
as  those  of  the  most  delightful  female  writer  of  the  last  generation.  All  her  writings  are 
pervaded  by  justness  and  purity  of  sentiment,  and  the  highest  reverence  for  morality 
and  religion ;  and  may  safely  be  commended  as  of  the  highest  interest  and  value  to  every 
family  in  the  Xs.nA.''^— Morning  Ifews. 

"  If  Charlotte  Elizabeth  were  not  one  of  the  most  attractive  and  useful  wi-iters  of  the 
age,  we  might  perhaps  be  ready  to  say  that  slie  was  in  danger  of  surfeiting  tlie  public 
appetite,  by  her  numerous  productions  ;  but  as  it  is,  we  are  constrained  to  say  the  oftener 
she  shows  herself  as  an  author  the  better.  Her  works  never  tire ;  and  we  are  never  even 
in  doubt  in  respect  to  their  useful  tundiency."— Religious  Spectator. 

**  Charlotte  Elizabeth's  works  have  become  so  universally  known,  and  are  so  highly  and 
deservedly  appreciated  in  this  country,  that  it  has  become  almost  superfluous  to  mention 
them.  We  doubt  exceedingly  whether  there  has  been  any  female  writer  since  Mrs.  Han- 
nah More,  whose  works  are  likely  to  be  so  extensively  and  so  profitably  read  as  hers. 
Bhe  thinks  deeply  and  accurately,  is  a  great  anylist  of  the  human  heart,  and  witha) 
clothes  her  thoughts  in  most  appropriate  and  eloquent  language."— ^ZJany  Argm. 


LIFE    (IF    AKOIilBALD    Ai.KaA: 


NEW  EDITION.— FOURTU  THOUSAND. 

LIFE    OF    ARCHIBAI.D    ALEXANDER,    D.D. 

BY  BEV.  JAMES    W.   ALEXANDER,  D.D. 
One  vol.,  8vo.,  $2  50,  cloth ;  extra  gilt,  and  half  calf,  $3  50  ;  morocco  $5. 

"  It  will  be  cherished  and  be  r^inked  as  one  of  the  most  finished  and  most  complete 
biographies.  Dr.  Alexander  was  one  of  the  greatest  and  best  men  that  this  country  baa 
ever  afforded,  in  Church  or  State." — Baptist  Cincimiati  Journal  and  Messenger. 

"  As  a  memorial  of  a  beloved  and  venerated  teacher,  and  of  an  able,  learned,  and 
faithful  minister  of  the  gospel,  it  wiU  be  welcomed  by  thousands,  and  read  with  interest." 
— Christian  Observer. 

"  This  judicious  and  well-written  biography  has  a  two-fold  interest  in  the  historical  and 
religious  life  of  its  subject."—^.  F.  {Episcopal)  Churchmwn. 

"  His  intellect  was  one  of  gi-eat  grasp,  and  yet  extreme  nicety  of  perception  ;  his  elo- 
quence  not  often  equalled,  and  his  vital  piety  such  as  few  on  earth  attain  to.  Few  men 
have  made  so  deep  and  noble  a  mark  upon  the  Christian  Church  of  our  country  as  Dr. 
Archibald  Alexander."— CowHer  &  Enquirer. 

"  It  is  repkte  with  surpassing  interest  to  aW."— Presbyterian  Banner, 

"  The  model  biography."— JT.  T.  Observer. 

"  We  find  the  style  of  the  work  as  admirable  as  its  theme  is  interesting.  When  we  say 
this  memoir  of  his  life,  prepared  in  part  from  his  own  manuscripts,  is  in  the  highest 
degree  instructive  and  engaging,  we  but  faintly  express  our  estimate  of  its  value." — 
N.  Y.  Commercial. 

"It  admirably  illustrates  the  character  of  Dr.  Alexander,  and  presents  him  as  h«  was 
known  to  his  friends,  simple  and  patriarchal  in  habits,  clear  and  strong  in  his  intellect, 
laborious  in  duty,  paternal  as  an  instructor  of  youth,  and  thoroughly  sincere  and  free 
from  all  affectation  in  his  piety." — Presbyterian. 

"This  work  has  manifold  claims  upon  the  attention  of  the  Christian  public.  With  a 
simplicity  well  nigh  rivalling  childhood  itself,  he  united  vigor  and  grace  of  intellect,  an 
extent  of  learning,  and  a  power  of  eloquence,  a  depth  of  Christian  feeling,  and  a  general 
elevation  and  purity  of  character,  which  have  rendered  him  pre-eminently  a  man  of 
mark,  not  only  in  his  own  denomination,  but  throughout  the  whole  Church." — Albany 
Argus. 

"  A  more  valuable  contribution  to  Christian  biography  has  not  been  made,  in  any  part 
of  the  world,  during  this  centm'y.  It  is  chiefly  aiito-biographical,  and  possesses  all  the 
peculiar  traits  of  the  character  of  the  author;  and  the  editor  has  arranged  the  materials 
with  consummate  tact  and  good  taste,  supplying  all  deficiencies,  and  making  an  admira- 
ble work." — Baltimore  American. 

"  It  traces  Dr.  Alexander's  whole  course  from  the  cradle  to  the  grave,  showing  the 
various  inlluences  that  operated  to  the  development  of  his  faculties  and  the  formation  of 
bis  character  on  the  one  hand,  and  the  mighty  power  which  he  exerted  for  the  benefit  of 
the  Church  and  the  world  on  the  other.  The  book  contains  an  exact  and  breathing  por- 
trait of  the  mind,  the  heart,  and  we  may  add,  the  face,  of  one  of  the  most  gifted,  mosj 
honored,  and  most  useful  of  our  American  clergymen." — Puritan  Recorder. 


50  BOOKS  PUBLISHED  BY  CHAS.  SCKIBNER. 


Fourth  Thousand,  [mprnved  Eilitii.n.  with  a  Nt- \v  Index. 

CYCLOPEDIA      OF      MISSIONS. 

BY  REV.  HARVEY  NEWCOMB. 

One  vol.,  large  Octavo,  double  columns,  700  pages.  Price  §3  00.  Embrac- 
ing a  Uomprelieusive  View  of  all  the  Missionary  Operations  in  the  World, 
with  Geographical  Descriptions,  Condition  of  the  Unevangelized,  &c.  : 
together  with  the  Religious  Movements  of  the  Age  ;  under  Alphabeti- 
cal Arrangement ;  Illustrated  with  an  Original  Frontispiece,  from 
Rev.  XX.,  1-3,  and  Thirty  Missionary  Maps. 

TESTIMONIALS. 

"  Missionary  HonsB,  Boston,  Sept.  27, 1854. 
"It  has  sei'med  to  us  for  some  time,  that  a  work  which  shall  exhibit  the  operations  of 
the  different  Missionary  Societies  throughout  the  world,  is  very  much  needed.  The  num- 
ber of  Christians  in  the  United  States,  who  desire  this  kind  of  information,  is  constantly 
increasing;  indeed,  we  are  often  asked  to  point  out  the  sources  where  it  can  be  found. 
Hitherto  we  have  been  unable  to  give  a  satisfactory  reply. 

"It  has  given  us  great  pleasure,  therefore,  to  hear  of  Mr.  Nowcomb's  intention  to  pre- 
pare a  '  Cyclopedia  of  Missions.'  His  qualifications  for  such  an  undertaking  we  regard 
as  somewhat  rare ;  and  we  have  no  doubt  that  he  will  supply  a  want  that  has  been  felt 
extensively  in  our  Churches.  We  shall  rejoice  to  hear  that  the  enterprise  is  generally 
approved  and  patronised. 

"R.  ANDERSON,  "l 
S.  B.  TREAT,       XSecretanes  of  th» 
S.  L.  POMROY,   f     A.B.V.F.M.» 
G.  W.  WOOD,      J 

"  Missionary  Rooms,  Boston,  Dec.  1, 1853. 
"  Rev.  H.  Newcomb.— Dear  Sir— Your  proposal  to  prepare  and  publish  a  Cyclopedia  of 
Missions  has  been  received  with  much  pleasure.  The  want  of  such  a  book,  presenting  a 
comprehensive  view  of  the  fields,  operations,  and  history  of  missions,  derived  from 
authentic  sources  of  information,  has  been  seriously  felt  by  those  who  have  occasion  to 
investigate  the  subject.  If  the  work  is  faithfully  executed,  as  I  cannot  doubt  it  will  be, 
it  will  prove  highly  useful  and  acceptable.    Respectfully  and  truly  yours, 

"  EDW.  BRIGHT,  Jun.,  Corresponding  Secretary 

"  American  Baptist  Missionary  Union.'" 

"New  York,  Oet.2\,  1853. 
"I  cordially  concur  with  others,  better  qualified  than  myself  to  judge  in  such  a  matter, 
as  to  the  desirableness  and  importance  of  the  work  proposed  to  be  published  by  Mr.  New- 
comb.  His  previous  publications,  as  well  as  the  recommendation  of  the  American  Board 
of  Commissioners  to  Foreign  Missions,  are  a  sufficient  guaranty  that  his  present  task  will 
be  executed  with  fidelity  and  care;  and  I  cannot  doubt  that  it  will  be  interesting  and 
ngeful,  not  only  to  the  Christian  public,  but  to  all  who  wish  to  keep  up  their  acquaintance 
With  the  great  movements  of  the  age. 

"B.  F.  BUTLER." 


newcomb's  cyclopedia  of  missions.  51 


EXTRACTS   FROM   LETTERS    TO    THE  AUTHOR. 

From  a  distinguished  Metlu>dist  Minister. 
"I  am  more  than  ever  satisfied  that  the  plan  of  your  book  is  the  only  one  that  will  find 
favor  with  the  various  churches." 

From  Rev.  J.  I'ayne.  D.D.,  Mi/i6'io7iart/  Bishop  of  the  Protestant  Fpisoopal  Church  in 
West  Africa. 
"  I  trust  I  feel  too  deeply  the  importance  to  the  cause  of  missions  of  the  enterprise  in 
which  you  are  engaged,  not  to  be  willing  to  do  anything  in  my  power  for  its  advance- 
ment." 

From,  Bev.  F.  De  W.  Ward,  late  Missionary  in  India. 
"  A  happier  thought  could  hardly  have  occurred  to  your  mind  than  the  preparation  of 
such  a  volume." 

Frotn  Rev.  J.  ticudder.  M.D.,  Missionary  in  India. 
"  I  wish  you  every  success,  my  dear  brother,  in  your  excellent  labors.    I  have  no  doubt 
that  your  work,  when  published,  will  be  just  that  work  which  is  so  much  needed." 

From  Rev.  Dr.  Poor,  Missionary  in  Ceylon. 
"  May  the  sovereign  and  gracious  Lord  of  the  mission-harvest  speed  and  prosper  you 
in  your  great  and  good  undertaking." 

From  Be/0.  Dr.  Perkins,  Oroomiah,  May,  1S54. 

"The  work  you  propose  is  exceedingly  desirable  and  important;  anrl  judging  from  the 

fruits  of  your  pen,  which  I  have  from  time  to  time  been  so  much  favored  as  to  receive, 

through   our  common  friends,  Mr.  and  Mrs.  ,  I  am  happy  in  the  belief  that  this 

great  undertaking  is  fortunate  in  having  fallen  into  your  hands.     With  all  ray  heart,  I 
wish  you  the  fullest  success." 

From  Miss  Cynthia  Farrar,  of  the  Ahmednuggur  Mission. 
"  We  both  (Mrs.  Graves  and  herself)  rqoice  that  the  Lord  has  stirred  up  your  bean, 
and  mind  to  the  work  of  preparing  a  comprehensive  view  of  i 


From  Bev.  C.  Byington,  of  the  Choctww 
"  I  am  glad  you  are  engaged  in  this  very  work.     There  is  need  of  it." 

From  the  New  York  {Baptist)  Becorder. 
"Such  a  work,  thoroughly  prepared,  will  be  of  great  practical  value,  giving  to  the 
friends  of  missions  not  only  distinct  and  comprehensive  views  of  their  own  denomina- 
tional fields,  but  of  the  fields  occupied,  and  the  labor  performed  by  all  branches  of  the 
Christian  family.  We  believe  the  work  to  be  worthy  of  patronage,  and  commend  it  to  our 
readers." 

From  a  Pastor  in  the  State  of  Mew  York. 
"  It  gives  me  pleasure  to  hear  that  you  are  preparing  a  Cyclopedia  of  Missions.    I  have 
often  felt  the  need  of  it." 

From  a  Pastor  in  Michigan. 

"  I  feel  the  need  of  such  a  work.     At  the  West,  we  are  not  supplied  with  statistics,  maps, 

history,  kc,  of  missions,  in  such  form  and  fulness  as  to  meet  our  wants.    We  are  often 

very  much  crippled  in  our  efforts  as   Pastors,  in  presenting  the  work  and  wants  of 

missions." 


61 


aENIUS    AND    FAITH; 

OR,     r  O  E  T  11  Y    AND    H  E  H  G  I  0  N  . 

BY  IlEV.  WM.  O  SCOTT. 
1  vol.,  12mo.,  cloth.  Price  $1  00. 
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having  separate  and  adverse  interests,  should  be  regarded  as  twin  sisters  and  fellow- 
helpers  in  the  great  career  of  human  happiness.  The  work  has  much  sound  philosophy 
and  religion  in  it." — Puritan  Recorder. 


THE    EPOCH    OF    CREATION. 

THE   SCRIPTURE   DOCTRINE    CONTRASTED   WITH    THE    GEOLOGICAL   THEORY. 
BY  ELEAZEB  LORD. 

WITH   AN   INTRODUCTION   BY   REV.    U.    W.    DICKINSON,   D.D. 

1  vol.,  12mo.,  cloth.     Price  $1  00. 

"  We  have  here  a  work  for  the  study  of  the  intellectual  man  of  the  world  as  well  as  the 
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logic  which  will  impress  conviction  upon  many  doubting  minds." — Troy  Budget. 

"  We  are  heartily  glad  to  see  this  book.  We  ask  Christian  scliolars  to  read  the  volume; 
thinking  learned  men  will  find  something  here  to  think  of.  It  is  no  child's  book,  it  is  not 
a  bigot's  book.  It  is  a  masterly  defence  of  God's  ancient  word  against  modern  theory, 
and  demands  attention." — N.  Y.  Observer. 


INCIDENTS    IN    THE    LIFE    OF   A    PASTOR. 

BY  REV.    W3I.    WISNER,  D.D. 
1  Tol.,  12mo.     Third  edition,  cloth.     Price  $1  00. 
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"  It  is  not  a  book  of  controversy,  or  extended  stories ;  it  tells  its  truth  unaffectedly  and 
forcibly,  and  in  so  doing  utters  volumes  of  theology.  A  more  suggestive  work  we  have 
seldom  seen.  Its  solemn  facts  seize  upon  the  conscience  and  heart  with  a  power  that  sur- 
passes all  the  force  of  rhetoric." — K.  Y.  Eoanyelint. 


A     PASTOR'S     LEOACY. 

BEING   SERMON.S   ON   PRACTICAL  SUBJECTS. 
BY   TEE  LATE  REV.   ERSKINE  MASON,   D.D. 
With  a  brief  Memoir  of  the  Author,  by  Rev.  Wm.  Adams,  D.D.     1  vol.  8va 
with  a  Portrait.     $2  00. 


RELIGIOUS.  63 


EXAMPLES    OF    LIFE    AND    DEATH. 

MY  MRS.    L.    U.    SJGOUUNEY. 
1  vol.,  12mo.,  cloth.     Price  7.')  cents. 

The  persons  whose  characters  are  delineated  in  this  volume  have  boen  chosen  from  a 
period  of  many  centuries.  They  have  been  taken  from  every  variety  of  station — from 
the  lowliest  position  to  the  throne.  From  the  records  of  their  lives  and  deaths  are  drawn 
important  lessons  for  the  guidance  of  the  living. 

"  Here  she  has  gathered  gems  from  thirteen  centuries  of  time,  bringing  under  review 
every  shade  of  character  as  exhibited  by  the  living,  and  reflected  back  from  the  dead,  who 
through  her,  being  dead,  yet  speak.  In  voices  of  warning,  encouragement,  and  hope,  to 
those  who  still  claim  a  place  in  the  world  of  thought  and  action." — Albany  Spectator. 

"Altogether  the  series  forms  one  of  the  most  delightful  volumes  that  even  Mrs.  Sigour- 
ney  has  ever  given  us;  and  by  those  who  know  the  genial  and  refined  taste,  the  sterling 
good  sense,  and  the  eminently  religious  spirit  which  pervade  her  writing,  this  will  be  con- 
sidered no  mean  praise." — N.  Y.  Com/mercial. 


INDIA    AND    THE    HINDOOS. 

BEINO   A   POPLLAR   VIEW   OF    THE     GEOGKAPHY   AND    HISTORY,    GOVERNMENT, 

MANNEKKS,  CUSTOMS,  LITERATURE,   AND   RELIGIOUS   OBSERVANCES   OP 

THAT   ANCIENT   COUN'TRY. 

BY   F.    DE    W.     WARD. 

LATE  MISSIONARY  TO   INDIA. 

1  vol.,  12mo.,  cloth,  with  Map  and  numerous  Illustrations.     Price  SI  25. 

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condition  of  the  people,  and  the  workings  of  the  missionary  operations  introduced  among 
them.  His  work  is  considered  a  standard  authority  upon  the  manners,  customs,  and 
religious  system  of  the  Hindoos. 

"  The  condition  of  India  as  it  was  and  as  it  is,  both  in  a  secular  and  religious  aspect; 
is  portrayed  at  length  and  with  very  considerable  liveliness  and  strength  of  description." 
—N.  Y.  Tribune. 

"  It  is  a  book  of  decided  value  and  interest."— <7oM>ver*  <&  Enquirer. 

"  In  few  volumes  of  its  size  will  be  found  so  much  valuable  information." — Commercial 
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ARCHIBALD    CAMERON; 

OR,    HEART   TRIALS. 

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THE    SACRED    MOUNTAINS. 

BY  J.  T.  HEADLET. 
Illustrated  with  12  Engravings,  by  Burt,  with  Designs  by  Lossing.     1  vol.,. 
12nio.,  cloth.    (20th  thousand.)    Price  $1  25.    Do.,  do.,  full  gilt,  $1  75  ; 
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"Tlie  work  consists  of  a  description  of  the  several  mountains  mentioned  in  Scripture, 
and  of  the  wonderful  scenes  that  have  been  exhibited  upon  them.  Ararat,  Moria,  Sinai, 
Hor,  Pisgah,  Horeb,  Carmel,  Lebanon,  Zion,  Tabor,  Olivet,  Calvary,  and  the  Mount  of 
God,  are  made  successively  to  rise  up  before  the  eye  of  the  mind,  invested  with  all  that 
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ful exhibitions  of  divine  power,  wisdom,  and  goodness. 

"  As  we  have  gone  through  the  work,  we  confess  that  we  have  felt  that  the  author's  power 
of  imagination  was  well-nigh  unparalleled.  Here  he  moves  in  the  fury  of  the  tempest, 
and  there  upon  the  breathing  zephyr:  here  he  paints  terror  and  blood  till  one's  own  blood 
actually  curdles,  and  there  illumines  his  page  with  some  beautiful  picture  which  puts  in 
requisition  all  the  brightest  hues  of  the  rainbow.  The  book,  so  far  as  we  know,  is  entirely 
unique  in  its  character.  It  addresses  itself  to  the  best  feelings  of  the  Christian's  heart, 
chiefly  through  the  medium  of  the  imagination.  Thousands  will  read  it  with  delight,  j.nd 
will  ever  afterwards  contemplate  the  scenes  which  it  describes  with  an  interest  which  they 
never  felt  before." — Albany  Herald. 

"  Those  who  have  read  Napoleon  and  his  Marshals,  will  find  here  a  book  marked  by  the 
same  impetuous,  glowing  style,  but  on  subjects  more  agreeable  to  a  religious  taste.  We 
are  much  gratified  ourselves  to  possess  the  volume,  and  we  commend  it  to  our  readers  as 
a  charming  gift-book,  and  a  useful  companion  for  quiet  hours." — N.  T.  Recorder. 


SACRED    SCENES   AND    CHARACTERS. 

BY  J.  T.  UEADLEY. 
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soul  is  not  attuned  to  perceive  the  historical,  descriptive,  and  moral  beauties  of  the 
Bible." — WatcJt.man  and  Reflector. 

"  Mr.  Headley's  characteristics  as  a  writer  are  so  well  known  and  favorably  appreciated, 
that  we  need  not  bespeak  public  attention  to  anything  from  his  pen.  There  is  about  the 
present  volume,  however,  an  unusual  charm,  a  peculiar  attractiveness,  especially  to  the 
serious,  meditative  reader,  which  will  secure  for  it  ample  audience  and  lasting  jiopularity. 
The  moral  tone  is  elevated  and  sustained  throughout,  the  coloring  vivid  and  life-like,  an. 
the  entire  impression  upon  the  reader's  heart  not  unlike  what  would  be  produced  by  an 
actual  pilgrimage  among  the  scenes  it  describes.  The  artistical  accessories  are  ia  thf 
most  finished  style  of  modern  excellence."— CArirfian  Parlor  Magazine. 


62  BOOKS    PUBLISHED    BY    GHAS.    SCRIBNER. 


THI;]    FATHERS    OF    THE    DESERT; 

OR,  A\    ACCOUNT  OF  THE  ORIGIN   AND   PKACTICK  OF  MONKERY  AMONG   HEATHE> 

NATIONS,  ITS   PASSAGE    INTO  THE  CHURCH,  ANT)  SOME    WONDERFUL   STORIES 

OF  THE   FATHERS   CONCERNING   THE   PRIMITIVE   MON-RS   AND  HERMITS. 

BY  REV.  nENBY  RVPFNEB,  D.D.,LL.D. 

LATE  PRESIDENT    OF   WASHINGTON   COLLEGE,   VA. 

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page  of  his  industry  and  labor  in  tracing,  from  the  cradles  of  society  in  the  East,  the 
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in  nil  ages." — National  Intelligiiicer, 

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Observer. 


INDICATIONS    OF    THE    CREATOR; 

OR,   THE   NATURAL   EVIDENCES   OF   FINAL   CAUSES. 

BY  GEORGE  TAYLOR. 

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proving  the  existence,  constant  care,  and  active  goodness  of  a  great  First  Cause,  the 

origin  and  supporter  of  all  things. 

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and  the  other  Practical  Sciences,  for  the  purpose  of  showing  the  natural  evidences  of  the 
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MERCANTILE      MORALS. 

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BY   REV.     W.    H.     VAN    DO  REN. 
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"It  should  be  in  the  library  of  every  merchant."— TAe  RepuUia 


BOOKS   PUBLISHED    BT   CHA,S   SCRIBNER.  45 

HOMES  FOR  THE  PEOPLE  IN  SUBURB  AN1> 
COUNTRY; 

OR,    THE    VILLA,    TilE    MANsIOX,    AND    THE    COTTAGE. 

Adapted  to  Americaa  Climate  and  Wants. 

BY      GEBVASE       WHEELER,       Architect, 
AtrrnoB  or  "ktjkal  homss,"  etc. 

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Ptily  met.  Other  books  have  been  presented,  offering  models  for  house  builders,  but  they 
have  generally  been  the  crude  notions  and  sketches  of  men  of  literary  and  artistic  talent 
riither  than  of  practical  skill. 

In  the  present  volume,  not  only  the  stored  hints  of  a  long  and  successful  practice  in  his 
profession  of  an  architect  have  been  offered,  but  the  plans  elucidating  his  remarks  have  had 
the  benefit  of  realization  and  of  mature  tnought  and  examination. 

In  its  pages  the  reader  will  find  an  amount  of  information  that  will  satisfy  nearly  his  everj 
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Courant. 

"  Many  valuable  hints  are  presented  in  this  volume." — iV.  Y.  Tribune. 

"The  author  is  a  professional  architect.  He  explains  the  principles  according  to  which  a 
house  of  any  price  almost  should  be  built.  His  pages  furnish  many  valuable  hints." — Utica 
Herald. 

"This  work  is  issued  in  beautiful  style.     The  designs  are  tasteful,  and  the  whole  charac 
ter  of  the  book  is  such  as  to  commend  it  to  public  attention.     It  is  adapted  to  builders  of 
every  class — it  has  suggestions  for  houses  of  all  ranges  of  cost  in  the  city  or  country." 
Boston  Transcript. 

"  Good  taste,  practical  common  sense,  and  an  eye  to  the  usages  of  the  country  appear 
throughout  the  work,  while  its  designs  and  illustrations  will  prove  an  invaluable  assistance 
to  those  who  wish  to  build,  and  to  build  wisely  and  well." — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 


"  The  author's  study  has  been  to  furnish  models  for  convenient,  tasteful,  and  even  elegant 
suburban  and  country  dwellings,  from  the  lowest  to  a  high  cost,  and  to  afford  all  the  neces- 
sary information  for  their  construction.  We  should  like  to  see  such  books  wide  spread,  as 
our  national  architecture  needs  improvement.'' — Phila.  Presbyterian. 

•'There  are  abundance o'' books  on  architecture  and  on  landscape  gardening,  but  an  actual 
absence  of  such  another  volume  as  the  present.  The  designs  are  exceedingly  tasteful,  and 
imbued  with  the  highest  spirit  of  architectural  beauty." — New  York  Express 


18  BOOKS    PUBLISHED    BT    CHAS.    SCRIBNER, 


LIFE    OF    SIR    WALTER    SCOTT. 

£T   DONALD    MACLEOD. 
1  vol.,  12mo'..  cloth,  with  portrait.    Price  $1. 

"This  is  a  model  biography.  The  author  has  delineated  the  character  of  him  onco 
styled  the  Great  Unknown,  so  that  all  who  read  these  pages  may  know  him,  and  cherish 
for  him  a  personal  attachment." — Chriiiian  Intelligencer. 

"  This  is  a  most  delightful  and  even  fascinating  volume.  Its  fascination  consists  in  tlie 
clear  flow  of  its  narration,  warm  with  a  glowing  love  for  its  subject,  and  all  over  gemmed 
with  racy  and  sparkling  anecdote. 

"  It  tells  the  story  of  the  great  wizard's  life  with  simple  directness,  condensing  the  more 
elaborate  narratives  of  others,  and  culling  from  them  only  the  more  salient  and  spicy 
facts  of  his  biography,  thus  making  it  one  of  the  agreeable  books  of  the  season." —  Watch- 
man and  Observer. 

"  We  can  but  commend  this  work  to  our  readers  as  one  of  unflagging  interest,  from  the 
beginning  to  the  end  ;  written  in  language  simple  but  often  exceedingly  picturesque,  and 
always  in  keeping  with  the  particular  theme  in  hand." — Knickerbocker  Magazine. 

"  A  fresher,  pleasanter,  more  vivacious  biography  we  have  seldom  read." — Temp, 
Courier. 

"We  should  not  be  surprised  if  this  Life  of  the  '  Author  of  Waverley '  finds  as  many 
readers  as  anything  which  has  before  been  written  about  the  true  'Wizard  of  the  North.' " 
— The  Presbyterian. 

"  It  is  written  with  great  care  and  judgment,  and  portrays  the  remarkable  career  of 
the  great  novelist  with  an  exactness  and  fidelity  that  renders  it  as  valuable  as  a  work  of 
reference,  as  it  is  interesting  in  its  subject." — Home  Gazette. 

"With  a  loving,  reverential  spirit,  and  a  fair  power  of  discernment,  he  has  drawn  a 
graceful  outline  of  the  personal  life  and  character  of  Sir  Walter.  It  is  peculiarly  a  book 
for  the  people,  and  as  such  has  its  charms  ;  and  yet  no  one,  however  familiar  he  may  be 
with  the  Great  Magician  of  the  North,  will  read  it  without  pleasure." — New  York  Courier 
and  Enquirer. 


THE    BLOODSTONE. 

BY  DONALD  MACLEOD. 
1  vol.,  12mo.,  cloth.     Price  75  cents. 

"His  style  Is  chaste  and  yet  animated,  and,  without  being  studded  with  formal  senti- 
ments, is  deeply  imbued  with  pure  and  genial  feeling." — Courier  <&  Enquirer. 

"  The  merit  of  the  book  lies  in  its  picturesque  descriptions  of  scenery,  and  the  fidelity 
with  which  it  enters  into  the  sunny  side  of  early  life." — N.  Y.  Albion. 

"  The  writer  has  earned  bright  laurels  by  his  former  pu  -lications,  but  we  have  seen 
nothing  from  his  pen  that  shows  so  much  depth  and  power  jf  both  thought  and  feelln|{  M 
this." — Albany  Argus. 


MISCELLANEOUS  41 


"A    WORK  THAT  SHOULD   B^  IN  EVERT  LIBRARY." 

LIVES    OF    THK    OHIEB"    JUSTICES    OF    THE 
UNITED    STATES. 

BY    GEORGE    VAN   SANTVOORD. 
1  vol.,  8vo.,  cloth.     With  Portrait.     Price  $2  25. 

"  This  is  truly  a  work  of  sterling  value  and  should  have  a  place  in  every  library  thai 
pretends  to  anything  like  completeness.  The  book  is  valuable  for  its  biographical  informa- 
tion respecting  these  distinguished  men,  but  more  so,  as  it  traces  the  history  of  the  Fede- 
ral judiciary  from  its  earliest  beginning." — Christian  Intelligencer. 

"  It  is  written  freely  and  fluently  ;  appears  to  be  learned  and  candid  in  its  representa- 
tions, and  is  a  work  of  decided  interest." — N.  Y.  Evangelist. 

"  The  work  is  ably,  faithfully,  clearly  and  impartially  written.  It  is  a  valuable  acquisi- 
tion to  the  library  of  any  man,  and  ('^serves  the  patronage  of  the  public." — Hartford 
Coui'ant. 

"  Mr.  Van  3.  ha-s  brought  out  in  this  volume  some  of  the  most  important  facts  in  the 
history  of  these  illustrious  jurists.  His  style  is  concise  and  vigorous.  »  •  *  The  book 
should  have  a  place  in  the  library  of  every  intelligent  citizen." — Troy  Times. 

"  Tliese  biographies  contain  much  that  is  new,  valuable  and  interesting,  in  regard  to 
the  private  histories  and  public  services  of  these  worthies,  and  which  make  this  volume  a 
most  valuable  contribution  to  our  present  stock  of  American  biography.  They  are 
written  in  an  impartial  and  candid  spirit,  free  from  political  and  other  prejudices,  and 
manifest  alike  a  commendable  industry  in  the  collection  of  the  materials,  and  a  successful 
discrimination  in  their  arrangement," — Boston  Atlas. 

"  This  volume  deserves  a  place  in  the  library  of  every  American  lover  of  general  lite- 
rature, as  well  as  of  every  lawyer." — Philadelphia  Evening  Bulletin. 

"  This  work  is  one  that  should  be  in  every  library,  and  read  by  everybody." — Rochester 
Ad'vertiser. 

NEW  SERIES. 
BY     T.     S.     ARTHUR. 

SPARING   TO   SPEND ;  or,  the  Loftons  and  the  Pinkertons.    By  T.  S.  Arthur.    1  vol., 

ISmo.     Price  T5  cents. 
THE  OLD  MAN'S  BRIDE.     By  T.  S.  Arthur.    1  vol.,  18mo.    Price  75  cents. 
HEART  HISTORIES  and  Life  Pictures.    By  T.  S.  Arthur.     I  vol.,  18mo.    Price  T5  cents. 
HOME  LIGHTS  AND  SHADOWS.    By  T.  S.  Arthur.     1  vol.,  18mo.    Price  75  cents. 

Mr.  Arthur's  tales  are  all  of  the  most  beautiful  tendency.  He  selects  his  subjects  from 
every-day  life,  and  treats  them  in  such  a  manner  that  the  reader  almost  feels  that  he  U 
reading  a  chapter  from  the  experience  of  those  by  whom  he  is  constantly  surrounded. 
While  it  is  no  part  of  his  design  to  excite  surprise  by  violent  and  improbable  incidents, 
he  always  succeeds  in  fl.xing  the  attention  of  the  reader.  His  constant  endeavcr  is  to 
awaken  in  the  minds  of  his  readers  kindly  feelings,  and  ready  sympathy  for  their  .'ellow 
creatures. 


MISCELLANEOUS.  15 


VENICE,    THE    CITY    OF    THE    SEA. 

FROM     THE     INVASION     OF     NAPOLEON,     IN     1797,    TO     THE     CAPITULATION     TO 
RADETZKT   IN    1849.      WITH   A   COTEMPORANEOUS   VIEW   OF   THE   PENINSULA. 

BY    EDMUND    FLAOG. 

LATE  CONSUL  OF  THE  UNITED  STATES  AT  THE  PORT  OP  TENICE. 

2  vols.,  12mo.,  cloth,  with  Map  and  Seven  Engravings.  Price  $2  50 
(4th  edition.) 

"He  has  put  forth  a  work,  which  for  clearness  of  diction  and  elegance  of  style,  foi 
order  and  method  in  its  arrangement,  for  the  perspicuity  of  its  military  details,  and  foi 
its  display  of  an  intimate  knowledge  of  the  historical  and  political  events  to  be  recorded; 
is  hardly  equalled  by  any  similar  work  of  the  present  day.  This  history,  in  the  romantic 
interest  which  attaches  to  the  City  of  the  '  Terrible  Ten,'  and  in  its  details  of  heroic  valor 
and  enduring  fortitude  in  the  midst  of  famine  and  bombardment,  of  pestilence  and 
blockade,  will  favorably  compare  with  Prescott's  Conquest  of  Mexico." — WasJdngton 
Union. 

"  Mr.  Flagg's  elegant  production  is  the  result  of  several  years  of  experience,  study,  and 
compilation  of  all  that  is  most  lovely  and  romantic  of  that  charming  and  supernatural 
city  of  Venice.  The  painting  of  scenes  and  incidents  in  the  City  of  the  Sea,  has  a  great 
deal  of  the  grace  and  the  gentle  beauty  of  Washington  Irving's  most  familiar  and  popular 
writings."— 5*.  Louis  Intelligeneer. 

"  When  we  opened  Mr.  Flagg's  book  we  found  a  carefully  compiled,  poetically  writteii 
digest  of  the  history  of  that  glorious  old  Venice,  its  Doges,  its  Councils,  its  glory  and  its 
loves,  and  a  passionate,  thrilling,  yet  accurate  and  sympathising  account  of  the  last 
struggle  for  Independence." — T?i6  Knickerbocker. 

"  These  volumes  exhibit  thorough  research,  careful  observation,  and  a  discriminating 
use  of  materials.  The  style  is  animated,  and  the  descriptive  passages  are  sometimes 
highly  graphic  and  picturesque."—^.  Y.  Independent. 

"  He  writes  with  frankness  and  intelligence ;  never  grows  prosy;  and  his  vivid  portrait- 
ures impress  themselves  on  the  memory." — N.  Y.  Tribune. 

"  Mr.  Flagg  has  embodied  in  these  volumes  information  concerning  Venice  which  has 
long  been  sought  for.  They  will  prove  invaluable  to  the  student  as  well  as  to  the  politi- 
cian, as  books  of  reference.  This  work  is  written  in  a  graceful  and  pleasing  style,  not 
stiffly  historical  nor  too  highly  wrought — but  truthful  and  forcible.  No  library  will  be 
complete  without  this  hook."— Buffalo  Journal. 

"These  handsome  volumes  are  full  of  interest  and  instruction,  comilaing  as  they  do 
many  of  the  excellences  and  advantages  of  history  and  travels." — Boston  Traveller. 


Ulustrated  Edition. 
PROVERBIAL    PHILOSOPHY. 

BY  M.    F.    TUP  PER. 

A,  new  edition,  with  40  Original  Illustrations.     1  vol.,  8vo.,  morocco,  $3  ■ 

cloth,  full  gilt,  $2  50  ;  cloth,  plain,  $1  75. 


^ 


I                   .     r  '"    T.  I,"™"'''^.^-'  .^"."^""C:}^" 

L.brar. 

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DATE  DUE 

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